Let's take a look at how Voter ID works in the state that started it (in an attempt to reduce voting fraud), my own fair Indiana:
Public Law 109-2005 requires Indiana residents to present a government-issued photo ID before casting a ballot at the polls on Election Day.Oo, nooooooes! How can those cruel, cru-el people do that? Don't they know The Poor can't possibly comply, not without missing meals and having to leave Timmy down the well?
...Glad you asked:
If you do not possess an ID that is acceptable for voting purposes, Public Law 109-2005 requires the BMV to issue an Indiana State ID Card for free.[Emphasis mine] Please note the same Public Law is referenced in the two quotes. Yes, that's right, the very same law that required you to actually identify yourself also required the state to provide you the means to do so, free for nothing!
--Oh, and any military ID will do, even the ones that expire "INDEF." Or perhaps your driver's license or State ID is expired? Hey, as long as it ran out after the most recently-past General Election, you're good to go.
I'm still assured by the people in funny glasses inside my TV that It Is All A Koch Brothers Plot Against Democrats; and in support, let's take a look at the wild success that plot achieved in 2008 here in the Hoosier heartland, long a GOP stronghold:
Barack Obama upended 40 years of Republican tradition by winning the presidential race in Indiana in one of the closest contests in the nation between him and John McCain.H'mmm.
I think the situation reveals a flaw in the logic used by conservative/libertarian/anyone-but-liberal-Democrat voters.
ReplyDeleteWe expect people to do things that make sense (mostly). We expect people to say things based on honest ideas and rational thought.
They don't. They don't intend to. It's not how they think. There is no reason for us to expect it from them, and we are foolish not to admit the reality.
You cannot hold rational conversations with people who are not rational. People who do not understand the concept of hypocrisy do not care if you point out their hypocritical statements.
People who regard truth and reality as variables which can be shaped by intentions and personal will are not swayed by intelligent and reasoned arguments.
They don't care.
It's a fault of ours that we expect them to.
I thought all Dems were more metro than troglodyte Repubs? Can't they just use their passport?
ReplyDeleteIf you actually needed to show some form of proof that you actually were entitled to vote where ever it is you're trying to vote...maybe only people entitled to vote there could vote there.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget: Vote early and often
Q
Don't forget that this law went all the way to the Indiana Supreme Court and was upheld. The Dems picked an older woman voter to sue, but when the case made it to the Supremes, it turned out the dear little lady was also registered to vote in Florida.
ReplyDeleteoops.
If you are unable to bankroll the fifteen dollars or so and spend 20 minutes in line to get an ID, are you really that concerned with getting your vote counted?
ReplyDeleteIf you are a resident of the United States not in posession of either a drivers license or some other ID issued by a government, there are a few possibilities to explain this.
ReplyDelete1. You are under the age of 16. (Sorry kid, come back at 18, and in the meantime, smack all the teachers you've ever had for not telling you this rule.)
2. You are an arch-luddite hermit living in a cave or a tree somewhere. (You probably haven't bothered to keep track of when it's election day anyway.)
3. You are a plant, and thus able to derive sustenance directly from sunlight, CO2, and water, rather than needing to consume food as humans do...food which must be bought or hunted (with tools that were bought). All this buying would require money. Good luck obtaining any money in the modern world without ID, whether from legitimate work or state welfare. Anyway, plants can't vote either.
4. You are a liar. There are a number of nefarious purposes you might plausibly have for _claiming_ to not posess proper identification at the polling place (such as voting multiple times, or voting in a district where you don't live), but all of them reduce to an intent to cast a ballot under an identity which is not yours. You may have been able to get away with this in the past. Some states may still let you get away with it. But do not confuse it with a right.