A few years ago, right-wing lawmakers in Georgia passed a law designed to suppress voting by introducing onerous identification guidelines.
Its apologists claimed the law was needed to protect election integrity - but the law prevented legitimate voters from voting. There's no evidence it blocked even a single ineligible voter.
The new law blocked eligible voters, as many who did not own cars couldn't get to the courthouse to update their ID's. And if they used their full middle name on their voter registration card, but just a middle initial on their driver's license, they would be turned away at the polls.
However, the Federalist Society whack-a-doos on the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar Indiana law last year.
And this month, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals used this spurious ruling to uphold the Georgia law.
With the courts relying on Federalist Society matchbook law instead of real law, I think it's time Congress steps in. Congress needs to pass a federal law to undo voter identification guidelines that are designed to suppress the vote.
(Source: http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/01/15/voterid.html)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Right-wing war on voting upheld
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No one was turned away for using full middle name on registration and initial on license. That's purely fiction.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you agree there needs to be some kind identification shown to vote. Otherwise there's nothing to stop me from using your name to vote in Kentucky. A utility bill or pay stub with name and address should suffice if they don't have a driver's license.
In ScheffSpeak, "That's purely fiction" means "That's purely fact."
ReplyDeleteThere was an article on another blog a while back about this very thing Scheff.
Missouri has the same law. I was an election judge here in MO in the November election, and I was told that if you used a middle NAME on one document and a middle INITIAL another, that I wasn't supposed to let them vote.
ReplyDeleteWhen I protested this, the cop stationed there said "If you don't like it, you can leave."
So I did.