Yeah! Finally! No more dead people voting in Indiana. Now if only they would pass one in all 50 states we could actually trust our presidential election results.
By a 6-3 vote in a closely watched election-year case, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld Indiana's strict voter-identification law, rejecting the claims of Democratic and civil-rights challengers that the law infringes on the right to vote.The decision by Justice John Paul Stevens, one of the most liberal members of the court, emphasized that the challengers had not presented sufficient evidence that voters were kept from the polls or otherwise hurt by the law Indiana says prevents fraud.
The court did not shut the door to other lawsuits against ID laws that have proliferated since 2001 and have been adopted largely by Republican legislatures over complaints from Democrats. The ruling endorses the procedures in Indiana, which will hold its presidential primary May 6.
Stevens was joined by the more conservative members of the bench, although the six in the majority varied in their reasoning and produced two separate opinions.
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When people say they are concerned about showing picture ID to Vote I don't believe them. Today, you cannot complete fininacial transactions without it a picture ID. So, what is the problem?
TM: "When people say they are concerned about showing picture ID to Vote I don't believe them. Today, you cannot complete fininacial transactions without it a picture ID. So, what is the problem?"
Actually I can complete a financial transaction without any ID. I simply use cash. I can use cash to purchase a fake ID, which I can then use to vote in the state of Indiana.
Also, it is worth noting that those who vote absentee by mail are not required to show ID.
www.in.gov/sos/elections/absentee.html
But the core of the problem lies in the fact that there have been zero, zip, nada cases of in-person voting fraud in the state of Indiana...ever. The voter fraud has involved absentee balloting. At no time has there been a case of in-person voter fraud in the state.
For that matter, can someone show me where there has been a case of in-person voter fraud anywhere in the US? I know of none, but surely there is a case somewhere, since everyone is so anxious to get some form of voter ID starting. After all, there MUST be a problem somewhere, so surely someone can show me where this is happening.
Please remember that this solution will do nothing to address instances of real voter fraud; absentee ballot fraud and ballot box stuffing. Neither of these are done in person, so they will not be affected by the ID law.
What we have here is a feel-good law enacted to appease folks who have come to distrust their election system. Fixing the real problems, from real instances of voter fraud to real concerns about voting equipment, are left for later...as usual.
VanBuren: "Also, it is worth noting that those who vote absentee by mail are not required to show ID."
Seems to me like the solution for those not having an ID would be to simply vote absentee in the future. The forms are downloadable, and with most libraries now having free Internet access for their patrons, printing off a form and mailing it in should not be too hard a burden. A family member, neighbor, friend, or community activist could distribute the forms. Heck, with tax forms and such available at the library, one of the local political parties could simply drop off a stack of these forms at the local library for free distribution.
I share the concerns about a national ID, but this particular law seems to be fairly well constructed. It won't stop fraud (even the Supreme Court decision admits there have been no cases of in person voter fraud in the state), but it seems to be a reasonable step in restoring trust in the election system.
Over 21 million Americans don't have state-issued photo ID. Remember, the Indiana law said you cannot use the following to prove who you are:
- utility bills or paychecks
- student photo ID
- expired drivers license
- employer issued photo ID
- medicare card
- social security card
- voter registration card
Sure you can go to the DMV for a state-issued ID. You know, in the car you can't afford, with the driver's license you don't have, using time off work without pay because the DMV closes at 5 on weekdays. Have we hit "unfair burden" yet?
"But the core of the problem lies in the fact that there have been zero, zip, nada cases of in-person voting fraud in the state of Indiana...ever. The voter fraud has involved absentee balloting. At no time has there been a case of in-person voter fraud in the state."
How do you know it's not going on? Maybe they just haven't caught anyone doing it.
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