73 replies to this topic

[jugoso]

[and then]

Right.  Because vote fraud is obviously a myth....  I will say that any State that requires a photo ID should provide it free of charge to those who cannot pay.

[ninjadude]

and then, on 25 September 2012 - 06:15 PM, said:

Right.  Because vote fraud is obviously a myth....  I will say that any State that requires a photo ID should provide it free of charge to those who cannot pay.

And also should travel to each and every household that cannot go there and get an ID.

[Kasey2601]

Isn't a driving license necessary for driving? Or a photo ID to conduct general transactions like check cashing? What about passports?

[questionmark]

Lady Kasey, on 25 September 2012 - 06:25 PM, said:

Isn't a driving license necessary for driving? Or a photo ID to conduct general transactions like check cashing? What about passports?

Yes, but. Driving is a privilege, voting is an unalienable right that the government is not to restrict but to foment. A drivers license does not say if you are an US citizen, it just seez that person such is authorized to drive vehicles of this and that type. And passports is something that you are not required to have, unless you plan to go abroad.

[Hilander]

If they are legal citizens they shouldn't have a problem getting an ID.  I don't think the license bureau or its location is some deep dark secret.  If someone can't figure out how to get an ID they probably can't use the voting system either.

[Taun]

Haven't we had this discussion in another thread?

[HerNibs]

Many people consider this a "poll tax".

The main point is that it cannot cost any money for a person to vote.  

Unless a free picture ID is provided it is "costing" a person to vote.

Very reason there are ballot drop off stations for mail in or absentee ballots.  Cannot force anyone to purchase a stamp in order for them to vote.


24th

Nibs

[jugoso]

Taun, on 25 September 2012 - 06:42 PM, said:

Haven't we had this discussion in another thread?

Perhaps. I just wanted to post the video cuz in thought it was funny. As is this one IMO

[Wickian]

I'm pretty divided on this issue, while I don't see how anyone could by any stretch of the imagination have a desire to vote and not have any form of identification(unless you're homeless or a hermit who does not interact with the outside world at all you pretty much have to have an I.D. of some kind), I still don't feel voting should cost you money.  Unfortunately there's those who want to abuse the system, so some safeguards need to be put in place.

Maybe have someone at the entrance do a SSN check from a government database(and after a successful check have that number flagged so it cannot be used again)before entry and not allow someone in if they don't have one unless they're assisting another voter.

[and then]

The part of the issue that honestly baffles me is the argument that requiring ID is a form of "intimidation".  How on earth is it intimidating to say who you are in a verifiable way?  If the person is a criminal they shouldn't be voting anyway.  If they are not felons and they ARE citizens and entitled to vote then a simple photo ID should not be an obstacle.  The ID must be free or it does amount to a poll tax.

[jugoso]

and then, on 25 September 2012 - 07:08 PM, said:

The part of the issue that honestly baffles me is the argument that requiring ID is a form of "intimidation".  How on earth is it intimidating to say who you are in a verifiable way?  If the person is a criminal they shouldn't be voting anyway.  If they are not felons and they ARE citizens and entitled to vote then a simple photo ID should not be an obstacle.  The ID must be free or it does amount to a poll tax.

Totally disagree. If the person has served their sentence they should not lose their right to vote for the rest of their life IMO.


Voting is both a fundamental right and a civic duty. However there remains one significant blanket barrier to the franchise: 5.85 million American citizens are not allowed to vote because of a criminal conviction. As many as 4.4 million of these people live, work, and raise families in our communities, but because of a conviction in their past they are still denied the right to vote.
Felony disenfranchisement laws in the United States are deeply rooted in the troubled history of American race relations, and the disproportionate racial impact of these laws continues to this day. Nationwide, 13% of African-American men have lost the right to vote, a rate that is seven times the national average. Given current rates of incarceration, three in ten of the next generation of African-American men across the country can expect to lose the right to vote at some point in their lifetime.
http://www.brennance...inal_conviction

[Babe Ruth]

This issue is one of the key issues that make the Republicans look so very mean-spirited.

The number of actual and confirmed cases of voter fraud is very very low.  I think in PA it was less than 1%.

So in true Dick Cheney fashion, the Repubs have made a mountain out of a molehill for the 1% solution.  Like we don't have enough genuine and legitimate problems in this country, the Repubs generate another out of thin air.

Nutz.

[HerNibs]

Wickian, on 25 September 2012 - 07:02 PM, said:

I'm pretty divided on this issue, while I don't see how anyone could by any stretch of the imagination have a desire to vote and not have any form of identification(unless you're homeless or a hermit who does not interact with the outside world at all you pretty much have to have an I.D. of some kind), I still don't feel voting should cost you money.  Unfortunately there's those who want to abuse the system, so some safeguards need to be put in place.

Maybe have someone at the entrance do a SSN check from a government database(and after a successful check have that number flagged so it cannot be used again)before entry and not allow someone in if they don't have one unless they're assisting another voter.

When an individual registers to vote all information provided is compared to any available government information.  Each county's voter registrations are uploaded to a state system the rejects (until additional clarification is obtained) any records that are too similar.  Letters are sent to individual in record asking them to complete new form.  Until the form is received the individual is suspended.  The only way they could possibly vote is provisional and even if they do that, the same previously requested information will still need to be presented.  Again, before the provisional ballot is counted (or even opened) all information is processed through the state system to make sure they haven't already voted and that they are eligible.

Every day, each election office receives information from other states notifying them that an individual has registered and that the individual needs to be removed from the roles of the prior residence.  Same information is received regarding deaths.

Nibs

[ninjadude]

Hilander, on 25 September 2012 - 06:38 PM, said:

If they are legal citizens they shouldn't have a problem getting an ID.  I don't think the license bureau or its location is some deep dark secret.  If someone can't figure out how to get an ID they probably can't use the voting system either.

Again, some people have never had a birth certificate (born in rural areas and/or thousands of miles away from where they are now), some people cannot physically go there, making one pay for a voter ID is a poll tax which is illegal. In the US, you are NOT required to produce papers (ID) like the Nazi's required.