Posted on 07/05/2011 1:11:38 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON — Sixteen Democratic senators want the Justice Department to look into whether voting rights are being jeopardized in Texas and other states that require photo identification in order for people to vote.
The lawmakers wrote Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday to express concern that millions of voters do not have a government-issued ID - particularly older people, racial minorities, low-income voters and students.
The senators say the photo ID requirements have the potential to block millions of eligible people from exercising their right to vote.
Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said the department is monitoring, as it routinely does, this type of legislative activity in the states.
"We urge you to protect the voting rights of Americans by using the full power of the Department of Justice to review these voter identification laws and scrutinize their implementation," the senators said in the letter to the attorney general.
The 16 senators include.......
"Many of these laws effectively disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters," Bennet said in a statement.
The senators are seeking vigorous enforcement of the Voting Rights Act and federal civil rights law, which bars different standards from being applied to individuals within a jurisdiction. Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act gives the Justice Department significant authority to review laws before they are implemented in states with a history of discriminatory voting practices. Three states subject to Section 5 - Georgia, Texas and South Carolina - require a photo ID in order to vote. Texas and South Carolina enacted their laws last month.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
E.J. Dionne called out the Tea Party saying, "Whether they intend it or not, their name suggests they believe that the current elected government in Washington is as illegitimate as was a distant, unelected monarchy..."
Next E.J. Dionne challenged Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his 10th Amendment focus, ...."This misunderstanding of our founding document is paralleled by a misunderstanding of our Constitution. "The federal government was created by the states to be an agent for the states, not the other way around," Gov. Rick Perry of Texas said recently."
Dionne continues, "No, our Constitution begins with the words "We the People" not "We the States."........."I know states' rights advocates revere the 10th Amendment. But when the word "states" appears in the Constitution, it typically is part of a compound word, "United States," or refers to how the states and their people will be represented in the national government. We learned it in elementary school: The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation to create a stronger federal government, not a weak confederate government. Perry's view was rejected in 1787, and again in 1865....."
How difficult or expensive is it to get one of these government issued ID cards? I thought voting versions were being issued for free.
This challenge is a frace -- there isn't any discrimination about this -- if it's SO HARD to get the proper ID, it will be provided.
But note the groups they say are being disenfranchised: " older people, racial minorities, low-income voters and students.."
It's blatant demagoguery.
Then i should be able to get a passport or drivers license without ID. Why are they more important than the vote?
Hell!
I have a picture on my Sam’s Club membership card.
And the historical voting discrimination was mainly by the Jackasses.
Well, actually it's to allow for voter fraud (ballot box stuffing).
They REALLY just say all that stuff so conservatives will flinch and cower (Great read).
Once again, the damn Yankees trashing the South. They say nothing about Wisconsin. Maybe they should say: “If we have photo IDs required, RATs will only be able to vote once.”
STAY THE HELL OUT OF THE SOUTH.
Those states are planning to descriminate against non-citizen voters! oh the humanity
“The U.S. Justice Department urged the courts to overturn the Arizona law, saying it conflicts with the National Voter Registration Act. That federal law allows people to submit a mail-in voter registration card and swear they are citizens under penalty of perjury.”
The Democrats need to embrace a broad based effort to facilitate voter ID for all the people. It is not expensive; many volunteer organizations would gladly help; and it would settle the issue of corrupt voters. Personal ID cards for people without a driver's license are easily available and in common use today in many states.
Exactly!
The Dems just want to tell Republicans to “JUMP” and then laugh at them when they ask, “How high?”
How do Holder's People cash checks, drive cars, get unemployment, get employment, go to emergency rooms, etc?
FUEH
You need a photo ID to apply for and cash Social Security (old people) and welfare (poor people/often minority). Not exactly a hardship there.
Your driver's license is the government's permission for you to exercise the privilege of driving on public roadways (no, driving is NOT a right).
The left's problem with photo ID is that it constrains illegal voting, and that applicants generally have to have a body temp above ambient to get one.
Here in GA, you can get the ID at the driver’s license office or at the county registrar’s office.
The driver’s license offices here have been a wonder for at least a decade. The offices are as quick and efficient as could be. It has amazed me the last few times I’ve interacted with them.
GA has more counties than most states, a relic from when they made counties small enough that a farmer could get to the county seat in a day’s ride. Therefore out in the boondocks, the county registrar’s offices are relatively accessible.
So to summarize, it ought to be easy as could be to get that ID, and it is free. The loud whining is because the whole thing makes voter fraud more difficult, nothing more.
And further, this whine about “PAST HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATORY VOTING PRACTICES!” makes it seem like nothing has changed in the last 50 years in these states, which is pure bunk, and offensive as could be. It is long past time for our elections to be allowed the same latitude as, say, Pennsylvania. Black people simply have no problem voting.
The change for the worse is that real discriminatory voting practices, like allowing black thugs with nightsticks to intimidate white voters, are ignored by the highest law enforcement authority in the country.
I am being disenfranchised when people are able to vote multiple times, or people who are ineligible to vote are able to vote, or people who simply don’t exist are able to vote.
But Democrats don’t care about MY rights. They’re perfectly happy to see my vote canceled out many times over because I am not a member of a protected minority.
“You have no right to ask me for my drivers license, officer. I am an Australian witch and am not responsible for your earthy traffic laws.”
If liberals are so concerned about disenfranchisement, they should have shown this concern when they were rejecting overseas military votes the past few elections.
“The senators say the photo ID requirements have the potential to block millions of eligible people from exercising their right to vote.”
Just have them use the same IDs they have to use to collect their taxpayer-funded benefits.
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