Today EJ Dionne, dutiful leftist media hack, picks up that whine in his Washington Post column.
An attack on the right to vote is underway across the country through laws designed to make it more difficult to cast a ballot. If this were happening in an emerging democracy, we’d condemn it as election-rigging. But it’s happening here, so there’s barely a whimper.
The laws are being passed in the name of preventing “voter fraud.” But study after studyhas shown that fraud by voters is not a major problem — and is less of a problem than how hard many states make it for people to vote in the first place. Some of the new laws, notably those limiting the number of days for early voting, have little plausible connection to battling fraud.
These statutes are not neutral. Their greatest impact will be to reduce turnout among African Americans, Latinos and the young. It is no accident that these groups were key to Barack Obama’s victory in 2008 — or that the laws in question are being enacted in states where Republicans control state governments. [...]
In part because of a surge of voters who had not cast ballots before, the United States elected its first African American president in 2008. Are we now going to witness a subtle return of Jim Crow voting laws?So what are these laws that EJ Dionne find so Jim Crow like? Let's take a look:
The laws in question include requiring voter identification cards at the polls, limiting the time of early voting, ending same-day registration and making it difficult for groups to register new voters.Let's examine each of these "problematic" laws.
First, the requirement of valid ID to vote, has to be one of the oldest canards ever. Asking anyone, black, white, purple, green or yellow for valid ID at the voting booth is just plain common sense. How is it that something as precious as your vote should not require valid ID, but something as meaningless as a video store membership does? What truly gets me about this phony ID argument is that the same Democrats who see racism in asking for valid ID to vote, do not see racism in asking for valid ID for the very social programs they peddle to minorities.
When it comes to limiting early voting, I am still scratching my head trying to figure out how this is Jim Crow like. Quite frankly, I don't know why anyone would want to vote weeks or a month in advance of an election day. Remember back in 2000 when it was discovered the night before the election day that Bush had a past DUI? Well, if you voted early and you found that information troubling, there is nothing you could have done to have changed your vote. Early voting really just helps politicians bank votes before election day. The more votes they can bank before election day, the less they have to worry about screwing up in the final stretch.
Again I still cannot see how limiting the number of days of early voting is racist. Unless of course you believe that minorities are too lazy to make it to the polls on election day, now that is racist.
Same day voter registration is clearly designed for voter fraud. There are years between elections, so why does someone need to wait all the way until election day to register to vote? How is it even possible for election boards to verify a voter on the same day they are allowed to vote? Couple same day registration with weak ID, like student IDs and you are off to Voter Fraud City. Again how is eliminating same day voting racist, unless you believe minorities are incapable of getting the act together in a timely fashion.
Finally regarding groups registering people to vote. We have seen all the fun and games that goes on with ACORN's voter drives. Again, what is so difficult that any individual (minority or otherwise) cannot just register to vote on their own?
Voting, like all our rights, come with responsibilities. You are responsible for getting your act together to vote. That means studying candidates records, learning the issues, registering in a timely fashion and yes, safeguarding your vote against fraud. The idea that minorities need special gimmicks, special rules or extra time to accomplish these responsibilities both insulting and racist.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: Politico
Via: The Washington Post
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18 comments:
Why do minorities continue voting for people who consider them to be child like. These politicians want to keep them mired in poverty so they can be seen as their only hope. Maybe some day before the country is completely bankrupt, individual responsibility will again be important. I believe that anyone is capable of showing an ID at the polls.
Geenie NaBottle: As a minority (Black/Puerto Rican) who is desperately looking for a black or Hispanic conservative voice that is not a parroted version of RNC/Tea Party talking points, I find your blog post insulting. You have pictures of people like Fredrick Douglas alongside Clarence Thomas as if they have anything in common outside of their skin color and Republican Party affiliation. (Never mind the Republican party of Douglas is not the same party of today)I want to hear a logical black conservative point of view and this article "aint" it. I enjoy reading a counterpoint of my own beliefs. If you want to try to make someone see your POV about these disenfranchising voting laws, how about you try giving some basis as to why they needed. The problem is there is no basis; there is no significant voter fraud that happens because of lack of id, early voting or same day voter registration. And since you seem ignorant as to why people vote early, try because they are employed and most employers, particularly ones who hire hourly workers or corporations don't typically allow their associates time off to vote. Why would you not want people to be able to schedule time in advance to take advantage of their constitutional right and duty as American citizens to vote? I would hope that people have the ability to make their minds up about a candidate based on substance long before the night of the election instead of being swayed by a 24hr cable news cycle……. I don’t think you can get anymore shallow than that.
Food for thought: "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong." - Fredrick Douglass
These voter disenfranchisement laws are the wrong thing to do.
The part about studies shows that voter fraud isn't a problem are mostly rigged themselves. They make the study after the fact but no judge will overturn an election and worse, they assume every vote is legit until proven otherwise, but make it nearly impossible to enter the evidence in or just ignore it. So yea, the study shows little, if no fraud, because the rules of evidence make the fraud legit. We had an election between Fienstein and Huffington. She won by 300,000 vote, but Huffington was only give 3 days to prove otherwise. He was able to prove 150,000 were fraudulent but she got the seat as it was claimed she would had won by 150,000. Later nearly a million others were found, but too late. So don't tell me election fraud doesn't exist or is a minor problem at best. Heck, we have two senators that count on it.
You can't get unemployment, food stamps, or medicaid without a picture Id.
I did a list not too long ago about all the things you cannot do without an ID. I don't see how it is possible to really survive in America without an ID.
Seriously are there people who are too broke or too lazy to get an ID that want to vote? Somehow I don't think so.
It is also racist in the fact that they are saying that only minorities are poor. Have they gone and looked in the mountains in Alabama? Those people are mainly white and have outdoor plumbing.
This goes to two ideas:
The left wants to cover for the voter fraud.
The left believes that minorities are incapable of taking care of their own needs.
The first is criminal, the second is racist. Either way, it shows the true nature of the political left.
Anonymous @ 3:08
To answer your question it is because the victim mentality allows politicians to play the "us vs. them" game. Sadly, folks fall that crap.
Liberals are enablers of voter fraud. They frequently get caught voting more than once, permitting felons to vote, and encouraging illegal aliens to vote.
In California, you can register to vote with nothing more than a utility bill and a signed PLEDGE that you are eligible to vote. No one checks your eligibility.
Unless we're going to have open voting, then we need to jealously guard the ballot box. Once an illegal ballot is in there, you can't take it out.
Voting early serves only one purpose - to vote more than once. Voting absentee should be the exception, not the rule. If you're out of state, you should be able to go into any post office, show your ID to certify your ballot, and then mail it.
Soldiers overseas have post offices to do this. If you choose to take a vacation overseas on election day, then too bad!
When people deliberately make voting inconvenient for some people, it is a violation of voting rights. But when people place themselves in inconvenient situations, it's not government's problem or job to facilitate their right to vote.
No one can reasonably say that getting and showing ID is an unreasonable burden.
Geenie NaBottle (Anonymous @3:47 pm):
With all due respect I do not believe you are "desperately looking" for anything other than confirmation of your own dogma. I maybe wrong, but given the tone of your post I doubt it.
With that said, I will take the time to answer your questions.
Re: Fredrick Douglas and Clarence Thomas, both men do come from a right of center perspective, i.e. individual choice and freedom. While leftist ideology uses the words of freedom and choice, however all their actions are strictly collective.
Re: The individual laws:
Clearly you did not read much of my post. But I will restate and clarify just in case you choose to read the reply.
Voter ID: Why shouldn't we all be certain that the person casting a vote is who they say they are? Even if you choose not to believe that ID prevents fraud, surely you would willing to see it can prevent mistakes. Sure you realize that if a vote is cast in error, someone's legitimate vote is nullified.
Early voting: You talk about work being the reason why people need early voting. Well, I say that is nonsense. That is what absentee ballots are for. If you cannot get off from work to vote, you get an absentee ballot. There is really no reason (other than maybe the military) for someone to need a whole month or several weeks to vote. As I stated in my post, early voting really is nothing more than a plus for politicians (left or right).
Same day registration: As I stated in my post, there is just no time for election boards to verify a voter on the same day a vote is cast. If someone is allowed to vote who shouldn't then someone's legitimate vote is nullified. You seem big on the word disenfranchisement, why not worry about disenfranchisement via nullified votes? How would you feel if a bunch of out of state white Republicans came to your town registered to vote on the same day and then nullified a bunch of black Democratic votes? Would you still be so Gung Ho for same day registration? Me thinks not.
Group registration - Are you going to tell me that if some group doesn't register you to vote, you just cannot vote? It maybe convenient to have someone hand you the paper work, but it sure as heck isn't a necessity. Anyone can just go register themselves or request the paperwork themselves. It isn't rocket science.
Now let me ask you a question. Disenfranchisement means to deprive someone from their vote. How does any of these laws deprive an individual from their vote when there are so many easy ways around them? Even if you were to apply all these laws together, an individual can still get to vote. So how do these laws deprive an individual from their right to vote?
Anonymous @ 3:55 PM
Read my above reply and answer the same question at the end.
madmath1:
I have voted in big cities and worked the polls in big cities too. I can tell you there are hundred upon hundreds of "vote tricks" that are done after the polls close. The biggest source of fraud occurs with all those paper ballots (early voting, absentee, provisional). If you really want to cut down on the fraud, then you really have to clamp down on the paper.
JACG:
The ID thing is such BS. When I think of all the hoops I had to jump through just to change my NY drivers licence to a NJ one, then compare and contrast to the no questions asked way I registered to vote, it is just amazing. I could have been Micky Mouse from the planet Quazar and no one would have batted an eye.
Matt:
It is called killing two birds with one stone.
Nick:
I agree. Voting is a very serious thing, as such one should be willing to make an effort to vote. I am sick of people who ramble on about how precious their vote is, but at the same time bitch and moan if they have to wait 5 mins online to vote. If your vote is that precious, you will make the effort.
Blacks have been devalued by these Democratic Party policies. We know that we are all equal under God and in this country, even if the Progressive racist force tries to divide us.
Liberty and freedom are frightening. I spent time in Moscow, following the collapse of the former Soviet Union talking with different people, from different backgrounds and occupation, on the challenges facing them at the end of the Soviet Era.
Having been a student of the Dissidents, I was quite saddened by the amount of support shown for a return to Communist Rule amongst the elderly and the educated.
Liberty and freedom were, quite frankly, scary. Personal responsibility was scary. Risk was scary.
The legislative races were interesting, since the parties ran on differing slogans, with the nationalist parties cutting a tack more close to the discarded rhetoric of the Communist Party, while maintaining a certain distance from the previous regime's most notable adherents. The bet, as I saw it, was "do you see yourself as a Russian?" or, "do you see yourself as a free citizen?"
Being a Russian means being dependent upon the State.
What does being an American mean?
.
I was serving in Kosovo when they held their first EVER free elections.
Some people stood in line up to TWELVE HOURS to cast their votes. The average time was 4-6 hours.
While we were not officially involved in conducting the election, we observed from a distance. The OECD rand the elections. They took sufficient care to make sure everyone was registered and voted only once, not that you'd want to stand in line for another four hours.
There may have been absentee ballots for refugees living abroad, but they were the exception rather than the rule.
If your vote is that important, you'll find a way to get to the polls. That said, I think we need to move our elections to a Saturday in September. I'm tired of hearing weather as the excuse for poor turnout.
All primaries should be held on the same day, nationwide.
OK, here I am commenting again. But your blogs all deserve the just praise, thank you for speaking out for all Americans....
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