How to Disenfranchise Voters Without Really Trying

Can we organize and stem the tide of voter suppression?

On Monday, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a democracy-destroying law in Indiana, which forces voters to present a state-issued picture ID at polls. Voters without IDs are allowed to cast provisional ballots, provided they show up at the county courthouse within 10 days to prove their identity. In Indiana, these picture IDs are given to citizens free of charge.

According to Indiana progressive and civil rights groups, this law is tantamount to discrimination, claiming it disproportionately affects poor, minority, and elderly voters. The law was passed under the banner of preventing voter fraud, but to demonstrate support for the majority opinion, Justice John Paul Stevens reached back to those tumultuous days of 1868 and the disputed poll outcomes and influence of Boss Tweed in New York's municipal elections. Don't we all remember that?

Critics of the law show evidence that if voter fraud is to be found, it's usually with absentee balloting. But despite the fact that their law is a solution in search of a problem, Indiana is now a model for other states like Oklahoma and Texas, which support the ID law and plan to pass similar restrictions. 25 states currently require some form of ID for voting.

Right on the heels of this decision, the good folks at Facing South report that African-American households in North Carolina are receiving fake robo-calls with inaccurate voter information. The automatic calls tell voters that they will soon receive a "voter registration packet" in the mail and that they must sign, date, and return the packet in order to vote. The official story is that this is an identity theft scam, and not a naked attempt at voter suppression in the African-American community.

And what do we glean from these stories from two states on the eve of their Democratic primaries? Whatever their intended purpose (securing the electorate, stealing identities, etc) the voter ID law in Indiana and the dirty tactics in North Carolina create a climate of confusion, fear, and distrust in our election process. It doesn't take many drops to poison the well, and give voters one more reason not to come to the polls and hold elected officials accountable.

Progressive groups and civil rights organizations need to continue to organize to stem the tide of voter disenfranchisement and actively engage in voter education to be sure voters have all the tools in hand to be able to exercise their rights.

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How to disenfranchise ... article

Submitted by Catherine Dorr (not verified) on May 15, 2008 - 10:41pm.

Elana- thanks for the great article. I will send you my comments in another & longer post. But, is there a way I can forward your article to other groups & orgs that I am involved with ? Some of these are nationwide, or in other states. Any hints/help you can give would be appreciated. Catherine Dorr

Disenfranchisement...

Submitted by L. Miner (not verified) on May 24, 2008 - 1:54pm.

I've read and re-read this, and I'm having a problem comprehending how a picture ID is disenfranchising the elderly and the poor. Why would that affect anyone, if the pictures are free??? In the state I live in, we've had to have picture IDs for a number of different things (check cashing for one) for some time. I haven't had to produce one to vote, but it wouldn't be any problem if I had to, and I am BOTH old and poor. Please explain this to me. Thank you.

Voter ID

Submitted by Dick Sohn (not verified) on June 4, 2008 - 11:31am.

Why does it matter if the voter ID law disproportionately affects the poor and the elderly? The state sales tax burden falls heaviest on the poor, with little or no disposable income. Drivers tests, especially the vision test, discriminate against the elderly. I 'm subject to showing a picture ID to buy a drink, or purchase a pack of cigarettes, or see an R-rated movie, or cash a check, or in many places, use a credit card. Is accuracy in voting less important? Voter fraud is a well-known political procedure in many locales. It is credited for electing Texas Senator Lyndon Johnson and Chicago Mayor Richard J Daley. And wasn't it a Minnesota politician named Wellstone that encouraged college students from all over the country to come to Minnesota and vote for him?

Voter ID

Submitted by David (not verified) on June 5, 2008 - 4:40pm.

It WASN'T "a Minnesota politician named Wellstone that encouraged college students from all over the country to come to Minnesota and vote for him... Bring the proof, or retract the slime.

Wellstone campaign

Submitted by Dick Sohn (not verified) on June 9, 2008 - 10:48am.

David, I won't retract my question ,because I heard it on good authority, that Paul Wellstone asked out-of-state college students to come to Minnesota and vote for him. Apparently, a quirk in the election law permitted it. I will modify the question and say that I was not a recipient of the plea for votes, nor do I know that Mr Wellstone personally extended the plea for votes; it could have been someone on his campaign staff. And it could have been a planted mole who did it to embarass the campaign, like that Hispanic activist who got a job with the Re-elect Bush people. But it was covered in a magazine whose accuracy I rely on, perhaps Reason or Atlantic Monthly. According to them it did happen. Dick

The ID Divide

Submitted by Ross (not verified) on October 16, 2008 - 11:46am.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/05/id_divide.html From the article: "there are specific groups who disproportionately lack IDs today. Many Americans mistakenly believe that almost all U.S. adults have a driver’s license, but in fact over 20 million Americans of voting age currently lack a valid driver’s license, as do roughly 10 percent of all eligible voters. Disproportionately represented among this 10 percent are: 1. The legally blind or disabled to the point where it is difficult or impossible to drive 2. Older Americans who no longer drive 3. Teenagers who can’t afford the cost of acquiring a driver’s license 4. Poor families without the means to afford the costs associated with maintaining a driver’s license 5. Millions of urban Americans living in cities with public mass transit systems who do not have driver’s licenses Communities of Color are also significantly less likely to have government-issued IDs. According to a 2006 survey by the Brennan Center, 25 percent of voting-age African Americans nationwide have no current government-issued photo ID, compared to eight percent of white voting-age citizens. In a Georgia study, Hispanics were twice as likely as whites not to have a government-issued photo ID."

thnx for ur posting.

Submitted by Hypnosis Training (not verified) on May 11, 2009 - 8:07am.

thnx for ur posting. According to a 2006 survey by the Brennan Center, 25 percent of voting-age African Americans nationwide have no current government-issued photo ID, compared to eight percent of white voting-age citizens. In a Georgia study, Hispanics were twice as likely as whites not to have a government-issued photo ID."