GOP To "Rig" Elections By Requiring A Proper I.D. To Vote According To DNC Chairwoman

[Dave]

To say Debbie is a bit goofy is a bit of an understatement. She's one that mentioned we should all buy American auto's yet she owns a foreign vehicle awhile back. The way I see it, if a person really wants to vote, they will do whatever they need to to make sure that they can. There are plenty of community organizations that will help people with getting to and from voting locations as well as helping them get ID's if that is what is needed. For her to call the requirement for an ID cheating is just plain silly.

DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL) says the Republican party is trying to disenfranchise and "suppress" the votes of minorities and other groups in the Democratic voting bloc by enacting laws requiring a valid I.D. at polls.

"It's very transparent who they're trying to block from the polls and who they're trying to block from the polls and who they want to smooth the path for," Wasserman Schultz said in an interview with MSNBC's Martin Bashir.

State Republican legislatures are passing bills that require a valid I.D. in order to vote to prevent voter fraud. However, Wasserman Schultz denies that charge, saying fraud is "simply a problem that doesn't exist."

The DNC Chairwoman accused the Republican party of not being able to "win elections on the merits," so they have to cheat.

"They know they can't win elections on the merits, so they're trying to rig elections by blocking people's access to the polls," Wasserman Schultz charged.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/12/01/wasserman_schultz...

[XLFD]

With all due respect, I have the right to enter without ID all those places in the graphic you provide, Dave, but (barring the union elections example, since everyone knows unions have their own communistic rules) requires the use of an ID for a privilege, not for asserting their rights, as you do when you vote.  To go down the list:  you have no express right to drive, to fly, to existing hospital services that require an ID (you will get emergency medical treatment without an ID), to get prescription drugs, to donate blood, to financial services, to buy a gun (due to recent unconstitutional restrictions), to have others accept your check as payment, to adopt someone, etc. 

My belief is that a right should not require picture ID, for it is not required (yet) by any law to have any form of ID to exercise your rights and it is within the rights of Americans to refuse to have any form of ID if they so choose.   Those people without picture IDs (which include many young people) should still have the right to vote, and there should be an alternative way of making sure their vote gets counted-- and only once-- through the registration process that does not require them to purchase a picture ID they don't necessarily want to have. 

With current document publishing technology, anyway, the problem with voter fraud will not be alleviated by the requirement of picture IDs.  Nor does presenting a picture ID for an overseas military or an absentee voter make sense.  As always, I like the idea of reducing voter fraud, but that should be done at the registration level for 'free', not in the SOS office or on voting day.

 

[Dave]

While the problem will never be totally alleviated, I think anything that can be done to limit fraud will be helpful. As we seen in 2000 and even as recent as the Iowa caucuses of a few weeks ago, a few votes can make a difference. 20 or 30 'stolen' votes can still swing a election one way or another.

In a perfect world, I absolutely agree with you, you shouldn't need a ID to do many of the things that the graphic above talks about. Unfortunately, this is far from a perfect world and due to various criminal elements out there in the world, we must be dutiful and be at least somewhat cautious when dealing with many things. I'd love to be able to walk into any bank and walk up to a teller and say "hi Sue, how are you today? I want to cash this check here" and have her reply "Hi there, we can do that for you, no problem" and never have to show her my ID or do a thumb print like some banks do.

I'm not sure what your getting at at the end of your comment though when you talk about something being done at the registration level for 'free' unless your talking that you should be able to register in places other then the DMV/SOS office. If that is what your referring to, I would agree that there should probably be a few other places that you should be able to register at.. maybe places like your local township hall or voting ward, local library maybe. It is my impression that in most states where these Voter/ID laws have been put in place that they will help you to get an ID, usually at no cost to the voter. In some states they will even come to your home to your home to get you your picture ID.

[XLFD]

I was referring towards the end about having more voter specific information on the voter registration card up to and including a description of or an image of the voter thereon and a signature on file with the local clerk.  The VRC is already processed through the SOS and local clerk in the registration process without extra charge. 

If the State actually put in place a process that you detail in your last couple of sentences that would probably be sufficient for me in supporting a voter ID law, if the added costs were not prohibitive.

[snide]

The biggest thing that bothers me is this issue was in the news around the Thanksgiving holiday in reference to SC....and people on the news were "appalled".....Well , Where the  f were they when it was made law HERE in MI...? I've had to show ID while the police state loving GOP "observer" sits there watching and making sure everyone shows it...WHY is Michigan off the grid of the news when it comes to this....? WHY has no money grubbing lawyer tested the legality of this rule...?

[Dave]

As far as the legality of the voter ID laws go, I think most states that have enacted them have made sure to include some sort of assurances that people who can not make it to DMV'S/SOS offices for whatever reasons, will still be able to get an ID provided to them, usually at no cost. In order for a lawyer (money grubbing or otherwise) to show that voters are being disenfranchised or inconvenienced by the law, they will have to get around the parts of the law I just described. If a person has a reasonable opportunity to both acquire an ID and to vote, I think its going to be hard for any lawyer to make a legit case. It's my belief that most judges while looking at any such cases will have to factor in that all reasonable measures have been taken to ensure that anyone that really wants to vote will have the opportunity. Obviously none of these laws are going to be 100% perfect, I don't think any law can be, but I think anything that can help eliminate as much voter fraud as possible is going to be a good thing.

And no, I'm not a lawyer nor a law professor or even a 'expert' in the field of law. I simply try to look at things from a 'common sense' approach and see what's reasonable and what isn't.

[Willy]

I think people are misunderstanding the situation by concluding that they need an ID to vote. That's not the case. Citizens need an ID to verify that they are the person registered under their name and not someone else who may be trying to steal their vote.

[Dave]

Another reason I support voter ID laws... just watched a report regarding recent elections in South Carolina (not the primary of just a few days ago though) where around 900 dead people voted. I'm sure some of these, even a majority of those votes were most likely absentee ballot votes where a person voted and mailed in their ballot but died shortly thereafter. However, I believe that some of the votes were not legitimate votes. How many were not legit? Hard to say but I'm sure there are more then a few.

[Robert]

Normally I agree with the majority here at the Torch but honestly don't see what the ID jerk is. To even give Dippy Debbie acknowledgment puzzles me even further. ID, regardless of the kind or source is part of being an adult and certainly needed to vote or function in todays society. 

Funny, i think about a rare traffic stop on a sunny Sunday afternoon years ago. A BS stop by the State Police but was surprised my adult passenger was asked for ID. My local librarian knows everyone in town but I was asked for my drivers license to apply for my card. I am suppose for ease of entering my information in the computer and didn't question why.  

[XLFD]

A significant number of people function well into their twenties (and beyond) without driver's licenses or ID cards, particularly college students, poor people, and those who live in big cities that take advantage of public transportation.  Granted, those people usually vote differently than I would, but requiring specific IDs to vote would be equivalent to exacting a form of poll tax.

For those not familiar with the 24th Amendment, it eliminated the poll tax:  "The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax."

 

Requiring certain IDs that cost money to acquire, could be classified as an 'other tax' by a court of competent jurisdiction.  I can understand the other side's wanting the security of as fair an election as possible, but I don't want to tread on the Bill of Rights to do so.

[Robert]

OK. I can't remember with certainty if there was a fee for my children to obtain their High School ID's but it certainly cost 55 bucks a year to drive an automobile to school and ID required to get this permit. Also an ID required to ride public transportation to school or pay the going rate. Not looking for a pissing match but think most establish identity at an early age. Poll tax? I guess rally to change the rules. Most people I know drive or follow the rules to function in todays society. Hard to imagine a collage student or inter-city resident not needing/having an ID for reasons I won't expand on here.  

[Robert]

And a BTW:

MDOS will waive the $10 PID fee for individuals who provide documentary evidence specified by MDOS demonstrating that the applicant is currently receiving benefits from one of the following programs:

• Michigan Department of Human Services Family Independence Program (FIP)
• Michigan Department of Human Services State Disability Assistance (SDA)
• Social Security Administration Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI)
• Social Security Administration Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI)

[easymoney]

If the moneys created by the voter ID's were to go directly to goverment coffers or the DNC, I bet you wouldn't hear one peep out of Waaserman