4 ms·

It's baffling to me as well. For some reason lots of Americans also don't support ID requirements for voting either. I'm from Brazil and even here we require ID

It's baffling to me as well. For some reason lots of Americans also don't support ID requirements for voting either. I'm from Brazil and even here we require ID for voters. I really just don't get it.

nemothekid 8y ago
Because in the US, and unlike Brazil, Voter ID laws are specifically enacted to discourage people from voting. It’s a solution looking for a problem (voter fraud is hardly an issue in the US). The Voter ID laws are all about putting a barrier in place to prevent $DEMOGRAPHIC from voting, then making it exceedingly difficult for $DEMOGRAPHIC to pass that barrier, even though it’s well within $DEMOGRAPHIC right to vote.
- joelrunyon 8y ago
  > Because in the US, and unlike Brazil, Voter ID laws are specifically enacted to discourage people from voting. How familiar are you with the voting laws in Brazil and the reasoning behind them?
  - estebank 8y ago
    I'm familiar with the laws in Argentina. Brazil has similar laws and reason behind them. A very big difference is that the US doesn't have a national ID to begin with, and a substantial portion of the population would not support the creation of one. Argentina and Brazil provide a national ID to every newborn that is needed for any interaction with the state. Furthermore, procuring a state ID in the US can be difficult for some citizens, as the documentation that would be required for it (usually birth certificates) was purposely "misplaced" due to explicitly racist policies.
  - unbearded 8y ago
    I'm very familiar not only with the voting laws but the campaigns laws. In my opinion, the voting laws in Brazil are not bad. The US is very different than Brazil. One big difference is that in Brazil the TSE and the TREs and also the electronic ballot are standard. Here, each state has its system of voting and counting vote. I believe that Brazil's problem is not at the vote, but after the politicians get elected. Here, there's gerrymandering, vote suppression, Citizens United, super PACs. Very different problems. But fear not. At the rate the current administration is implementing ignorant, racist and stupid policies, soon we will be just like Brazil. The irony? The corruption at the highest echelons of the government and people cheering up bad leaders is not what I had in mind when I wished some stuff here was more like in Brazil (I thought more about food and extroverted people).
- sbov 8y ago
  My favorite law was one passed by Texas, where a college id wasn't valid, but your NRA card was. So transparent. I think the federal courts struck it down.
threeseed 8y ago
Plenty of studies have been done on Voter ID requirements. Almost all of them have come back that (a) they discourage elderly, minorities etc from voting and (b) they have no impact whatsoever on the levels of voter fraud.
unbearded 8y ago
It's a very different story in Brazil. Trust me. I'm not only from there, I have been involved and know a thing or two about Brazil's politics. To start, in America the vote is not mandatory like in Brazil. Here, the "ID requirement" is not being implemented as a way to make better elections or prevent fraud, but as a way to suppress and limit the power of minorities, which by many complicated reasons, usually votes do the left. Also, illegal immigration is/was a product of the prosperity of the country. It only became an economic issue after 9/11, when the government tightened policies and made impossible for people without proper documents to contribute. Undocumented immigrants can't buy and drive a car (in most states) or be able to pay for health-insurance (it used to be much cheaper when they could). Instead, they drive without a license to feed their families and when they get into an accident or have a health "scare," we food the bill. Unfortunately, the system seems beyond repair at this point. Some political groups take advantage of the fear and lack of information of parts of the population to gather support for their agendas. Not even children are out of limits, and the top of the pyramid is taking advantage of the situation, throwing even more gasoline on the fire.
cozzyd 8y ago
Many people in the US have no official ID because there is no standard national ID. Instead, it's common to use things like driver's licenses (which not everyone has... since not everyone drives) or passports (which not everyone has... since you only need it to leave the country).

nemothekid 8y ago

Because in the US, and unlike Brazil, Voter ID laws are specifically enacted to discourage people from voting. It’s a solution looking for a problem (voter fraud is hardly an issue in the US). The Voter ID laws are all about putting a barrier in place to prevent $DEMOGRAPHIC from voting, then making it exceedingly difficult for $DEMOGRAPHIC to pass that barrier, even though it’s well within $DEMOGRAPHIC right to vote.

joelrunyon 8y ago
> Because in the US, and unlike Brazil, Voter ID laws are specifically enacted to discourage people from voting. How familiar are you with the voting laws in Brazil and the reasoning behind them?
- estebank 8y ago
  I'm familiar with the laws in Argentina. Brazil has similar laws and reason behind them. A very big difference is that the US doesn't have a national ID to begin with, and a substantial portion of the population would not support the creation of one. Argentina and Brazil provide a national ID to every newborn that is needed for any interaction with the state. Furthermore, procuring a state ID in the US can be difficult for some citizens, as the documentation that would be required for it (usually birth certificates) was purposely "misplaced" due to explicitly racist policies.
- unbearded 8y ago
  I'm very familiar not only with the voting laws but the campaigns laws. In my opinion, the voting laws in Brazil are not bad. The US is very different than Brazil. One big difference is that in Brazil the TSE and the TREs and also the electronic ballot are standard. Here, each state has its system of voting and counting vote. I believe that Brazil's problem is not at the vote, but after the politicians get elected. Here, there's gerrymandering, vote suppression, Citizens United, super PACs. Very different problems. But fear not. At the rate the current administration is implementing ignorant, racist and stupid policies, soon we will be just like Brazil. The irony? The corruption at the highest echelons of the government and people cheering up bad leaders is not what I had in mind when I wished some stuff here was more like in Brazil (I thought more about food and extroverted people).
sbov 8y ago
My favorite law was one passed by Texas, where a college id wasn't valid, but your NRA card was. So transparent. I think the federal courts struck it down.

threeseed 8y ago

Plenty of studies have been done on Voter ID requirements. Almost all of them have come back that (a) they discourage elderly, minorities etc from voting and (b) they have no impact whatsoever on the levels of voter fraud.

unbearded 8y ago

It's a very different story in Brazil. Trust me. I'm not only from there, I have been involved and know a thing or two about Brazil's politics. To start, in America the vote is not mandatory like in Brazil. Here, the "ID requirement" is not being implemented as a way to make better elections or prevent fraud, but as a way to suppress and limit the power of minorities, which by many complicated reasons, usually votes do the left. Also, illegal immigration is/was a product of the prosperity of the country. It only became an economic issue after 9/11, when the government tightened policies and made impossible for people without proper documents to contribute. Undocumented immigrants can't buy and drive a car (in most states) or be able to pay for health-insurance (it used to be much cheaper when they could). Instead, they drive without a license to feed their families and when they get into an accident or have a health "scare," we food the bill. Unfortunately, the system seems beyond repair at this point. Some political groups take advantage of the fear and lack of information of parts of the population to gather support for their agendas. Not even children are out of limits, and the top of the pyramid is taking advantage of the situation, throwing even more gasoline on the fire.

cozzyd 8y ago

Many people in the US have no official ID because there is no standard national ID. Instead, it's common to use things like driver's licenses (which not everyone has... since not everyone drives) or passports (which not everyone has... since you only need it to leave the country).