Comments on: Why I struggle with taking claims of racism seriously

By: tgirsch

tgirsch — Mon, 04 Apr 2005 17:23:49 +0000

Again, I’m torn on this one. There’s nothing inherently racist about requiring ID, but we unfortunately have a history of minorities being abused by authority figures, even recently. So that mistrust of authority that develops as a result can indeed deter some from voting.

I think we absolutely need to get to where ID is required for voting, but there are larger problems that need to be solved first.

For what it’s worth, I don’t know about where you live, but where I live the lack of a photo ID check doesn’t mean that there isn’t any check. You have to have registered, you have to vote at the appropriate location where you’re on the voter rolls, you have to know your registered address, etc. Where I vote, there’s also a signature check (they have your signature on file from your registration, and when you sign in, the signatures have to match).

Yes, there’s still room for fraud (there always will be, even with an ID check), and no the system isn’t perfect, but it’s not as if I could just walk in off the street, identify myself as “Say Uncle,” vote, and have that vote count.

By: etc.

etc. — Sun, 03 Apr 2005 01:54:55 +0000

I think it is a good idea to make sure that voters are who they say they are. On the other hand, photo IDs require you to pay a fee when you get one (at least where I live). Now, I know that you can’t make someone pay a fee to vote (aka poll tax), so I doubt you can make them pay a fee to get a photo ID so that they can vote.

By: markm

markm — Sat, 02 Apr 2005 22:21:28 +0000

smijer: If you mean that these seniors don’t have a driver’s license (generally because they can’t pass the vision test), then why doesn’t the state license bureau issue a photo ID for non-drivers? If you can’t get a photo ID, you’ve got worse problems than getting into the voting booth.

Of course, anyone who really is an American citizen can get a federal photo ID – it’s called a passport.

But I decided Georgia was going to hell (in the secular sense) when they insisted that their new touchscreen voting machines had to be bilingual. If you want to be a citizen, learn the language of your country.

By: smijer

smijer — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 15:14:30 +0000

According to the Georgia AARP, a large percentage of senior citizens do not have a form of id that would be acceptable under the new law, despite being eligible to vote.

By: cube

cube — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 14:51:25 +0000

well, i think a photo id, or the things you have to have to get a photo id.

An A or B list, is the way it work in TN if you want a drivers license.

(ssn card, pay check stubs, showing you live the in area, passport, are just some of the things i would think would work)