Posted on 05/09/2008 11:16:58 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
This election season has been full of stories about bowling scores, barroom boilermakers and basketball. But, recently, a little noticed U.S. Supreme Court ruling may have jeopardized Americans' precious right to vote.
In Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the most restrictive voter identification law in the country and failed, I think, in its duty to protect the voting rights of all Americans. In its 6-3 decision, the court sanctioned the practice of requiring Indiana voters to present government-issued photo identification in order to vote.
Poll taxes, which were used to disenfranchise Southern black voters by requiring them to pay a tax in order to vote, were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966. This current ID requirement appears to be nothing more than a thinly disguised modern day poll tax that places a burden upon many citizens - especially minorities, low income, the elderly and people with disabilities - seeking to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
As Melanie Campbell writes in the National Urban League's State of Black America 2008, "Today there are still over 54 million eligible unregistered voters, including over 30 percent of African-Americans and over 40 percent of Latino Americans who are unregistered. Yet there are those who consistently advocate for policies that discourage eligible citizens from becoming active participants in our representative democracy."
Indiana is one of a growing number of states that have passed or are considering similar restrictive voter ID measures. It's one thing to have the right to vote and quite another to have unfettered freedom to exercise that right.
Despite my disappointment with the ruling, I am encouraged that the justices have left open the possibility that such laws could be challenged in the future with proof that the laws prevented eligible voters from exercising their right to vote.
As the historic presidential election of 2008 draws near, we should be making it easier - not more difficult - for eligible voters to participate.
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Marc H. Morial is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.
House Speaker Decries Supreme Court Decision on Voter IDs
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) called the Supreme Court’s decision on Indiana’s voter identification law “undemocratic.” The law requires voters to show a valid photo ID in order to obtain a ballot.
“The Court’s decision places obstacles to the fundamental rights of the people, especially the ignorant, the undocumented, and the inanimate—the very people whose circumstances tend to impede their ability to register or cast a vote,” Pelosi complained. “The right to vote is a foundation of our democracy. Everyone who wishes to vote must be allowed to do so.”
Pelosi predicted that the ruling would “reduce 2008 voter turnout and permit a narrowly defined clique of established citizens to determine the outcome, resulting in another four years of Republican misrule.”
read more...
http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm
ROTFLMAO! It is truly believable, too!
Yeah, you have to get a FREE state id to vote. Some poll tax there, you (the author of the article, not the poster) complete f###ing libtard.
“This current ID requirement appears to be nothing more than a thinly disguised modern day poll tax that places a burden upon many citizens - especially minorities, low income, the elderly and people with disabilities - seeking to exercise their constitutional right to vote.”
This is such hogwash. There’s not been one single, solitary legitimate case of disenfranchisement associated with this law. Furthermore, the BMV in Indiana will provide a voter id card FOR FREE.
Marc Morial, like his father Ernie, the hideously corrupt former mayor of New Orleans.
I bet more people would be upset about the pole tax.
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/yahoo?q=pole%20tax
You have to understand the position of the author.
He thinks that blacks are not smart enough to get a photo ID to vote.
Photo IDs for buying liquor, check cashing, and joining the military they can handle. But not for voting.
We know their real complaint is about voter fraud. Demoncraps will not be able to win in such states as Wisconsin and Illinois without wholesale voter fraud. Photo ID hurts voter fraud. Demoncraps need voter fraud. Damn voter ID, we need more voter fraud in order to save America!!!!
Now that's funny. I don't care who you are. The SCOTUS made it a little more "precious" by doing what they could to stop the Rodents from voting 10 or 20 times each. That's what all this whining is about. The 'Rats know that the jig is up. Voter fraud just got a little harder.
Massive attempted vote theft in the Gary Indiana primary vote and no one in the media blinks.
Woudl inanimate be DEAD voters?
If the 2nd Amendment is ruled and individual right by the SCOTUS, will the liberals consider forcing law abiding citizens to pay for permits to purchase a firearm an obstacle for law abiding citizens to exercise their 2nd Amendment Rights????
This is classic bait and switch, false dichotomy at work. Remember politicians are pros at this. There are only two possible choices here in their framed “debate.” Whoever controls the language, the terms of the debate, etc, wins every time. And of course politicians have the bully pulpit, and everyone knows the press buys their ink by the railroad car.
They start with the premise that everyone - the poor, the downtrodden, elderly - the forgotten elements of society need and deserve representation.
Fine so far, but good intentions aren’t the end of it. Any suggestion of ID requirements are branded as unthinkable, and you’re a bad, bad person if you indignantly suggest otherwise. The absurdity of stating that ID requirements are “undemocratic” shows this as the farce it is. Too, words don’t mean anything - “democratic” means whatever they say it is.
To a leftist, the bill of rights is a smorgasboard.
Oh, woe is us, all this exceedingly poor judgment not participating in choosing our representatives!
What we need is poll tests, "Do you know who you are choosing among? What their policies are? Whether they have upheld the Constitution or not during public service?" Etc.
What’s the problem??? Poor voters can use the same ID to vote as they use to cash their welfare checks.
The ID for FREE is the key part, or it would be a poll tax. Loss of time or other inconvenience due to the voting process is not considered a deterent to voting.
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