It's amazing what you can do with a headline. You can turn research data into something that supports your position. That's just what the New York Times did with their headline "Lower Voter Turnout Is Seen in States That Require ID".
My instant thought on reading that headline was "Great! Some of those who have been committing voter fraud aren't being allowed to now." But, when you read their article there is not one mention of decreased voter fraud.
Everything in the article is about how voters are being disenfranchised -- especially minorities. And the hardest hit -- Hispanics -- because in states where it is actually required of you to simply sign your name and provide proof of residency with a utility bill or the like without even showing a photo ID, Hispanics seem to simply find this too hard to comprehend. At least that's what the article would have you believe. I would venture to guess some of those Hispanics that have been voting in the past -- and therefore nullifying other American Citizen's votes -- either weren't citizens, were illegal aliens or weren't legally registered to vote in the first place. Now that they're being checked up on they're not voting anymore. Good!
Federal law requires only first-time voters to verify their identities. But about half the states require documentation from all voters.
Doesn't that make you feel that your vote actually counts? I mean if you follow the federal law you only have to verify your identity the first time. After that you can just send someone else in to vote for you. Or maybe sell your vote to someone and let them go vote under your name. Or the best of the best, have people continue to vote for you after you're dead. Nobody's checking anyway, so have fun with it!
Not verifying a voter is actually eligible to vote each and every time that they go to the polls is simply stupid and incompetent and to those out there decrying this as some sort of "poll tax" or "the white man trying to keep minorities down" do you realize how much of a raving idiotic lunatic you sound like? Asking someone to show that they are who they are is now discriminatory? You're an imbecile if you believe that.
Back in September 2006 the House passed the Federal Election Integrity Act and polls have shown that 80-90% of Americans support the photo ID verification requirement.
In March 2005, protesters actually showed up to oppose a bill in Georgia that would have required photo ID's to vote. They claimed it set Civil Rights progress back decades.
Those against it claim that the poor and minorities would be disenfranchised because maybe they couldn't afford a photo ID. The Federal Election Integrity Act addressed that issue by including a section in the bill to pay for free for the poor who can't afford a photo ID. The opponents then simply fell back on playing the race card since they didn't have a leg to stand on.
If you are against proving your identity to vote you really need to go back and find another excuse because according to the majority of Americans you are a jackass and they're not buying your lame attempt at an argument anymore. This means you New York Times.
Tipped by: Outside the Beltway
