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Study: Voter ID Laws Will Keep Poor From Ballot Box

Many don't have money or a car to get the new documents

By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 18, 2012 4:48 PM CDT

(Newser) – A new report asserts that voter ID laws passed in 10 states will discourage low-income voters because they do not have the money or transportation to meet the new requirements. Conducted by NYU Law School's Brennan Center, which opposes the laws, the report reveals that roughly half a million voters in the 10 states do not have access to a vehicle and live farther than 10 miles away from their closest ID-issuing office, reports the Washington Post.

"We found the ability to get documents isn’t that simple," says the report's co-author. "The documents are costly for many, many voters and there are serious transportation barriers for many voters." Some ID offices require birth certificates or marriage licenses, and voters without these documents would need to pay additional costs to receive new ones. In Texas, a federal court heard a case over whether the state's ID law disenfranchises voters. A decision is expected by Labor Day.

The study says laws in 10 states will disenfranchise poor people.
The study says laws in 10 states will disenfranchise poor people.   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 260 comments
summerfairy
Jul 20, 2012 6:08 PM CDT
Interesting thing happened today.  Went in for lab tests and the tech demanded a photo ID.   Even though I produced an insurance card.
summerfairy
Jul 20, 2012 8:16 AM CDT
If an ID is not required then a pic should be taken at the time of registration and placed next to the name in the signature log. Facial recognition software should be run regularly (or even continuously)  to find duplicate pics.  This should already be being done for passports and driver's licenses.
coffeecup
Jul 20, 2012 5:20 AM CDT
In my state, North Carolina, here's how it worked in the primary. I went in to vote and gave them my name. They asked me if I was my father, who has the same name and is 30 years older. I said "no, he died two years ago." They then said, "Did you tell us? How are we supposed to take him off the list?" I needed no ID to vote. I could have voted as my dad if he were alive. I could have voted as my dad even though he was dead. (Why don't they scrub the list against the SS Death Index?) I can also look online in my state and see everyone who is registered to vote in my neighborhood. I can also see the last time they voted, so I know who is not likely to vote.  I see no problem requiring people to get the free voter ID card, even if they have to be a little inconvenienced to get one. If you live in even a small town, you should be able to get one. If you live out on the farm, or the middle of a rural area, well, you have to travel to vote don't you?  I don't buy that they are too far away from places to get one.  Finally, I can't go into much detail, but I did temp work for early voting. I absolutely saw the same woman come in three times and vote over the voting period.
 

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