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If it didn’t suppress Democratic votes then you wouldn’t have Republican politicians nearly universally in favor and Democratic politicians nearly universally o
by js2 8y ago
If it didn’t suppress Democratic votes then you wouldn’t have Republican politicians nearly universally in favor and Democratic politicians nearly universally opposed. I take that as prima facie evidence.
We have the same debate with early voting, how long polling places are open, and where they are located.
For whatever reason, conservative voters tend to be more motivated to vote. So any friction in the voting process tends to disproportionately affect Democrats.
As an aside, there are structurally racist policies that suppress Democratic votes both historically and today. To give one example, most states do not allow exconvicts to vote.
As to why many Americans are opposed? Because for so long this country has tried to prevent anyone but white men from voting.
Besides that, voter ID is a solution in search of a problem. There’s just not a plausible way to commit large scale fraud at the polls. You’d have to round up bus loads of people willing to commit voter fraud, take them from polling place to place, then have them sign their names as some other voter on the rolls at that polling location and hope that the real voter hasn’t and won’t show up to vote. I lack the imagination to see how this could occur without detection.
In any case, what everyone should actually be concerned with is that the voting system accurately captures the will of the people. In which case, voter fraud at the polls, in America, is the least of our problems. Our attention should be focused on things gerrymandering, first past the post, and for presidential elections, the electoral college, among other issues.
- garrettgrimsley 8y ago>To give one example, most states do not allow exconvicts to vote Almost all states do allow exconvicts to vote, but they may have to wait a certain period of time after release from custody/probation/parole. “In 13 states felons lose their voting rights indefinitely for some crimes, or require a governor’s pardon in order for voting rights to be restored, or face an additional waiting period after completion of sentence (including parole and probation) before voting rights can be restored” [0] Personally, I’ll be allowed to vote again in 2021. [0] http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/felon-voting-rights.aspx http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/felon-v...
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- js2 8y agoThank you for the correction.
- packet_nerd 8y agoIt seems obvious to me how to fix this: give everyone a federal ID (Estonia style maybe?) and require everyone to vote (maybe a nominal fine if they don't). I understand changes like that would favor the Democrats more than Republicans. Maybe it could be phased in slowly enough to lessen the pain? Anyway, once it was in place I'm sure the balance of power would readjust and then they could solve some real problems instead of shady politicking.
- ascagnel_ 8y agoThere are reactionary groups in the US that take hard-line stances against any form of federal ID. Even though the mass misuse (and theft of) social security numbers is pretty much proof positive of a need existing for such documentation.
- pseudalopex 8y agoA lot of Americans are opposed to federal ID on principle, never mind the cost. Forcing states to require federal ID for voting might require a constitutional amendment. Fining people for not voting seems like it would be extremely unpopular, especially if nothing was done to make it more accessible. It would also certainly draw a Firat Amendment challenge. If burning a flag is speech, how is not voting not speech?
- anticensor 8y agoVoting has a different constitutional reasoning than freedom of expression as most elections have explicit constitutional provisions.
- pseudalopex 8y agoSupreme Court jurisprudence on voting is kind of incoherent: it's fundamental but not really, expressive except when it isn't, etc. That only concerns whether someone has the right to vote. Opting not to vote is a political statement.