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WORD COUNT
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JUNE 11, 2008
PARTISANS CONTINUING
VOTING RIGHTS ASSAULT – by Tanya Clay House
On the heels of the
Supreme Court's recent decision upholding Indiana's restrictive voter ID
law, lawmakers in three states –- Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma –- have
wisely rejected similar voter ID legislation. But don't think this is
the last word.
Let's be clear. This
is not about election reform. This is a partisan fight about access to
the ballot box –- who gets in, and who does not –- and the voting rights
of hundreds of thousands of Americans are at stake.
On the surface, a
voter ID law doesn't sound like a big deal to those of us who have a
driver's license or a passport. Look deeper, and it's clear that voter
ID laws pose a significant barrier to the ballot box for all kinds of
people –- and that discouraging those people from voting gives a clear
partisan advantage to Republicans.
Who are the people
who might find it difficult to comply with voter ID laws? Folks who
don't drive or travel abroad, or who have lost their birth certificates.
Senior citizens who haven't had a current driver's license in years, or
disabled voters. Victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina,
who lose all their personal papers. Students who drive in one state, but
vote in another. Low-income workers who can't afford the costs of
replacing lost documents.
What do all these
people have in common? Senior citizens, the disabled, students and
low-income workers all tend to vote for Democrats. And that makes voter
ID legislation very attractive to Republican officeholders in state
after state –- just look at who is introducing the bills.
Advocates of voter ID
bills would have you believe that they're fighting fraud. Nonsense.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in this country. In fact,
even with the record-shattering voter turnout in the presidential
primaries all across the nation this year, supporters of voter ID cannot
point to any significant instances of voter impersonation fraud at the
polls.
Dead people are not
voting. Undocumented immigrants are not voting. But innocent, eligible
voters are being caught up in the mess. During the primary election last
month in Indiana, 12 nuns were turned away from the polls because they
didn't have photo ID. Something tells me they weren't trying to pull a
fast one. Simply put, voter ID legislation is partisan politics at its
worst –- piling up barriers for people who have every right to vote, in
order to gain political advantage. It's wrong.
That's why state
senators in Missouri held off a vote on a proposed constitutional
amendment to require voters to present a government ID to vote, and a
birth certificate, Social Security card, or passport in order to
register to vote.
In neighboring
Kansas, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius wisely vetoed voter ID legislation as too
burdensome.
And in Oklahoma, as a
photo ID bill was defeated on a straight party line vote in the state
Senate.
We applaud the
efforts of officials on the state level who have quashed voter ID
legislation, but this isn't the end of the story. Thanks to the Supreme
Court decision, I believe this legislation will be introduced again and
again across the country.
We'll oppose it
wherever and whenever it comes up.
We don't need laws
that discourage citizens from voting, requiring them to pay fees to
reproduce lost documents. This is the kind of unnecessary red tape that
makes people throw up their hands and give up on the whole process.
We should be passing
laws that make it easier for citizens to vote, not harder. We should be
tearing down barriers to the ballot box, and encouraging people with
voter-friendly initiatives like same-day registration and the option of
voting by mail. This country works best when more people vote. That's
the American Way.
--
Tanya Clay House is
director of Public Policy, People For the American Way. People For the
American Way was established to meet the challenges of discord and
fragmentation with an affirmation of "the American Way." By this, we
mean pluralism; individuality; freedom of thought, expression and
religion; a sense of community; and tolerance and compassion for others.
www.pfaw.org
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