Across the country, state legislatures and governors are pushing laws that seek to restrict access to the voting booth.
By Amy Goodman / AlterNet / December 28, 2011
All eyes are on Iowa this week, as the hodgepodge field of Republican contenders gallivants across that farm state seeking a win, or at least “momentum,” in the campaign for the party’s presidential nomination. But behind the scenes, a battle is being waged by Republicans—not against each other, but against American voters. Across the country, state legislatures and governors are pushing laws that seek to restrict access to the voting booth, laws that will disproportionately harm people of color, low-income people, and young and elderly voters.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund have just released a comprehensive report on the crisis, “Defending Democracy: Confronting Modern Barriers to Voting Rights in America.”
In it, they write:
“The heart of the modern block the vote campaign is a wave of restrictive government-issued photo identification requirements. In a coordinated effort, legislators in thirty-four states introduced bills imposing such requirements. Many of these bills were modeled on legislation drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—a conservative advocacy group whose founder explained: ‘Our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.’”
It is interesting that the right wing, long an opponent of any type of national identification card, is very keen to impose photo-identification requirements at the state level. Why? Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP, calls the voter ID laws “a solution without a problem. … It’s not going to make the vote more secure. What it is going to do is put the first financial barrier between people and their ballot box since we got rid of the poll tax.”
You don’t have to look far for people impacted by this new wave of voter-purging laws. Darwin Spinks, an 86-year-old World War II veteran from Murfreesboro, Tenn., went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a photo ID for voting purposes, since drivers over 60 there are issued driver’s licenses without photos. After waiting in two lines, he was told he had to pay $8. Requiring a voter to pay a fee to vote has been unconstitutional since the poll tax was outlawed in 1964. Over in Nashville, 93-year-old Thelma Mitchell had a state-issued ID—the one she used as a cleaner at the state Capitol building for more than 30 years. The ID had granted her access to the governor’s office for decades, but now, she was told, it wasn’t good enough to get her into the voting booth. She and her family are considering a lawsuit, an unfortunate turn of events for a woman who is older than the right of women to vote in this country.
It is not just the elderly being given the disenfranchisement runaround. The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law points to:
“bills making voter registration drives extremely difficult and risky for volunteer groups, bills requiring voters to provide specific photo ID or citizenship documents … bills cutting back on early and absentee voting, bills making it hard for students and active-duty members of the military to register to vote locally, and more.”
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recently spoke on this alarming trend. He said: “Our efforts honor the generations of Americans who have taken extraordinary risks, and willingly confronted hatred, bias and ignorance—as well as billy clubs and fire hoses, bullets and bombs—to ensure that their children, and all American citizens, would have the chance to participate in the work of their government. The right to vote is not only the cornerstone of our system of government—it is the lifeblood of our democracy.”
Just this week, the Justice Department blocked South Carolina’s new law requiring voters to show photo IDs at the polls, saying data submitted by South Carolina showed that minority voters were about 20 percent more likely to lack acceptable photo ID required at polling places.
By some estimates, the overall population that may be disenfranchised by this wave of legislation is upward of 5 million voters, most of whom would be expected to vote with the Democratic Party. The efforts to quash voter participation are not genuine, grass-roots movements. Rather, they rely on funding from people like the Koch brothers, David and Charles. That is why thousands of people, led by the NAACP, marched on the New York headquarters of Koch Industries two weeks ago en route to a rally for voting rights at the United Nations.
Despite the media attention showered on the Iowa caucuses, the real election outcomes in 2012 will likely hinge more on the contest between billionaire political funders like the Kochs and the thousands of people in the streets, demanding one person, one vote.
Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.
Amy Goodman is the host of the nationally syndicated radio news program, Democracy Now!.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Our country has lost its minds. I show an ID when I drive, travel by plane, buy anything with my credit card, etc, etc. etc. Oh the horror of showing an ID for voting! For God’s sake, it invites voter fraud.
So let’s give everyone who doesn’t have a driver’s license or an state issue ID card (I don’t know of a single person personally who doesn’t)…and give them an ID card for free.
Felipe – a couple of things. First, you confuse apples and oranges. Voting is not the same as driving, traveling by plane, or buying something with your credit card. Our elective franchise is a right, not a privilege. So any encumbrances on rights are a political burden and unnecessary. There are enough roadblocks to people voting, so why throw up another one?
Second, there is no widespread voter fraud. So, again, the “solution” is worse than the problem. The remedy is worse than the sickness.
IN numerous states, many do not have ID’s, like minorities, elderly – poor people in general. So then the burden is being placed on those who traditionally vote Democratic. Hmmm … who benefits from that?
You need an ID to apply for welfare or cash a check. How many poor people are realistically going to be disenfranchised by this?
And…the case law is clear that requiring an ID doesn’t violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court said so in 2008, in a 6-3 case. Look up Crawford v. Marion County Election Board.
In a 6-3 decision, the Court upheld the constitutionality of the photo ID requirement, finding it closely related to Indiana’s legitimate state interest in preventing voter fraud, modernizing elections, and safeguarding voter confidence.
Justice John Paul Stevens, in the leading opinion, stated that the burdens placed on voters are limited to a small percentage of the population, and were offset by the state’s interest in reducing fraud.
what’s so hard about showing/proving who you are to vote? you need ID to drink, drive, get a passport, have a bank account, etc……..if you really want to vote, then you’d go to the DMV and get an ID. this is all about the party of ‘enablers’, the left, that want all the less fortunate people to continue voting for them, to continue sucking off of the public teat, and sucking the life (and money) out of everyone else!
ps: i really hate the word: disenfranchisement…..
I have already explained why I had trouble voting the last 3x at the same location. My name hasn’t been on the list for the area. In fact, most people voting at the table with me also had voter cards and IDs or they wouldn’t give you the provisional ballot without both of those items. I think I just don’t see your point if u register and have a current ID with the address listed correctly. Yet there I was at a table packed with people and long lines. I never had this problem living in Illinois. I was also in a high immigrant community there but it was easier then here, just show photo ID and voter ID if u weren’t on the list and they had no problem, I never had issues. I have never researched ACORN but I will now. I don’t believe for a minute that some illegal or voter fraud on the avg. American is a problem. We have no cases to even name? The GOP does have an agenda to decrease votes or they wouldn’t be under investigation in Ohio. Honestly all their candidates are poor public speakers and they aren’t uniters. I can understand why they are worried. I would be too if I actually thought they had a plan or clue. Just like the avg. American I watch the news and I hear lies about immigration worry (no jobs and immigration the lowest ever), welfare lies (rolls decreased from Clinton they are going back up but still lower then the 90s), govt employees (vast majority don’t make crap), blame the banks when people can’t afford their mortgage, home repair and insurance cause they are laid off due to buget cuts and now rampant voter fraud. You got to be kidding me. Who haven’t GOP alleged is a criminal and possibly non American? I wonder why someone raised conservative like me won’t vote for them can you?
As a Canadian, I really can’t understand the voter-ID controversy in your country. In order to vote in Canadian Federal, Provincial, or Local elections and referenda, one has to be A. a citizen, and B. show two pieces of ID (including photo ID). There are no exceptions. And if you told even the most left-wing (e.g., NDP, Green Party) candidate that voter ID was ‘racist,’ or ‘disenfranchising,’ he’d laugh in your face. Anything other than photo ID is an invitation to fraud–something which even buying clubs and the like recognise. Your Attourney General and President are, obviously, fighting voter ID because it thwarts Daleyesque ‘zombie voting’ and ballot fraud.
Most people in America can’t but we are a nation of laws where everyone is arguing and paranoid. Intelligent people understand, but right now many people are afraid of the immigrants in general, both legal and illegal because they don’t look legal. But its not discrimination because the law is the law so just harass those who don’t look American. You see why the avg. American is stressed out from watching the news? Yet neither side will do anything until 2012 to address the issue. Its a load of crap and I will vote because I am legal and can and then watch 4 more yrs till the next whiny election.
all the sponsors of these bills (which are written by consesrv. think tanks, btw) claim they’re fighting voter fraud. the problem is, voter fraud is very rare. Fraud by Big Banks is very common. But these same people advocate less oversight for those crooks.
someone has to sponsor the bill, so what’s your point? i wouldn’t care if left wing think tanks (who thinks in a tank?) sponsored the bill, it’s a good idea. btw, the article is not about banks…….
I worked at a bank and can tell u that we are regulated. The banks have paid back with interest. Unfortunately we have a growing number of people laid off due to budget cuts. I know because I used to work with mortgages. The banks cannot afford to allow people to not insure there homes or just forgive a loan and let them keep a house. Its more complicated then it seems, and yes innocent people have been foreclosed on. However, the banks are doing what they can in a rotten economy with limited options for distressed homeowners. What do you think a responsible institution should do? Just give out free homes?
apparently you missed the first point i made: voter fraud, which these laws are supposed to prevent is very RARE. why would all these legislators in so many different states, most of whom say there are too many laws, suddenly feel the urge to solve a problem that barely exists? that’s my point.
there’s a reason why things happen. perhaps ms. moser’s experience as described below offers a clue.
1. the article is still not about banks 2. voter fraud must be prevalent (although i can not state any facts) or people (right or left) would not be bringing it up. ever hear of ACORN? 3. i’m sure there’s a good reason ms. moser had difficulty voting 4. i say again, whether there’s fraud or not, there’s absolutely no reason for someone to not have any ID to vote, or just exist 5. happy new year!
1. nobody said the article was about banks. i made a simple comparison about how laws are enforced in different areas. period. end of story. the article is not about banks. do you understand? do i need to SHOUT?
2. according to this study ( http://goo.gl/at7iD) by the Belkin Institute voter fraud is extremely rare.
3. the last congressional investigation into voter fraud concluded that “there is widespread but not unanimous agreement that there is little polling place fraud”
4. the “Acorn fraud” that the right brings up involves people who were hired to register voters that submitted fraudulent applications in order to boost their pay. (They were getting a per voter commission) These false applications were largely caught by prior to any attempt at actual voting by State officials.
I’m sorry if these facts inconvenience you.
I live in California in a high Hispanic neighborhood, however I am white. I have registered to vote using the same address 3 times. Each time I go I am told that I’m not on the list and I’ve re-registered 3 times directly at the DMV. Keep in mind I’ve been at the same residence for 3 years. What everyone and I noticed in the room as we voted were that most people weren’t on the list, there were 3 tables packed with people filling out registeration cards. I was then told that there weren’t enough pens so I ran home (across the street) picked up a pen and came back. Upon handing my new filled out card, it to the woman I showed her my Voter Registration Card, upon which she notified me that I would need my photo ID. Realizing I had ran back to the house and left it on the table I once again walked out the door, across the street, and came back with my ID. This time my kids wanted to go so I came back with a screaming bunch of kids and I was really irritated. I showed her my ID. She looked at it, commented it looked valid, and advised me that my vote would be accepted after it was verified I was legal to vote! While there another lady commented to me that this was the 5th time she had re-registered and it was getting annoying, she was black. Her husband was also filling out another card as he wasn’t on the list either. I am moving in a few weeks and I’m worried I will have the same problem again at the next election. I never did before but since living in a Hispanic community I have these problems all the time when voting.
I want to clarify that I had a state issued voter registration card plus a new provisional ballot. I was given a number to verify my vote but that turned out to be useless.
Jennifer, thanks so much for sharing your story. It’s a story like yours that makes this whole disenfranchisement so much more real for the rest of us.
Jennifer, I never really thought about the disenfranchisement element to all of this before. Thanks.
it was in a school library closer too night. I had the hardest time when a nice lady tried to entertain my kids with books. The middle one was 3 and he cried when he couldn’t take them all with him. I voted quickly while he hung on my ankle and kept telling myself I will never take them again. I always vote now. I didn’t think about complaining till I saw this article. I think they should establish a complaint line in order to learn how to securely increase access to voting. Clearly if you have 3 updated voter registration cards plus valid state issued photo ID you should be able to vote with a regular immediently countable ballot. Come to think of it I had to ask for my number to get it. Most everyone walked a way without getting a number.
I dont see a problem with Id at all. The only people who would have a problem with it are Illegals and folks with arrest warrants. If it a problem at a person voting place the its the voter registrators office that messing up. Start complaining to them now if you have had problem in the past.
http://goo.gl/6x3ql Headline: Newt Gingrich Committed Voter Fraud, According to GOP and Fox News ACORN Standards