4 ms·
> Why can't they issue free IDs and track every voter in a database and call it a day? In a very real sense: because that would make it easy to vote. Free IDs
by eropple 7y ago
> Why can't they issue free IDs and track every voter in a database and call it a day?
In a very real sense: because that would make it easy to vote.
Free IDs are directly inimical to the effort to prevent people from voting. That prevention is a major effort of one major American political party because it's seen as the only way they can win in an increasingly diverse country.
The folks who are against free IDs--who want it to be hard to vote--also get very weird about "databases of people", even though they already exist and corporate entities compile them right alongside governmental ones every day.
I get the desire to assume good faith in this, but we literally have the receipts.
- mywittyname 7y ago> also get very weird about "databases of people", I always frame the argument like this to my family when they complain. "I'm not opposed to the government maintaining a database of everyone's current address and related information, but if they are going to do that, they should provide free IDs and encourage everyone to participate."
- jandrese 7y agoPurging voter rolls is something parties can do tactically to help improve their chances of winning. For instance, in Florida: https://twitter.com/grascarp/status/1184049934653427712 https://twitter.com/grascarp/status/1184049934653427712 The GOP learned a long time ago that if you win it doesn't matter how dirty you are. You're not going to prosecute yourself after all. By the time the leadership changes hands everybody will have forgotten about it.