4 ms·

There's an amusing class of videos online in which conservative trolls ask young American liberals why voter ID laws are racist. The replies are invariably some

by cltby 6y ago

There's an amusing class of videos online in which conservative trolls ask young American liberals why voter ID laws are racist. The replies are invariably some version of "minorities can't obtain them." The troll will then play back these responses to random black passerby--who invariably have ID and are dismayed to find what liberals think of them. The disenfranchisement argument is one of the worst-sourced claims floating around the public sphere. And it's transparently bogus. Photo IDs are essentially mandatory for participation in civic life in the US. Everyone has them.

macintux 6y ago
I'm going with studies over anecdata, and also with the long-term track record that the South has earned of placing obstacles in the path of minorities voting. * https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/08/voter-id-laws-why-do-minorities-lack-id-to-show-at-the-polls.html https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/08/voter-id-laws-wh... * https://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/146006217/why-new-photo-id-laws-mean-some-wont-vote https://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/146006217/why-new-photo-id-la... * https://rewire.news/ablc/2014/10/16/well-actually-pretty-hard-people-get-photo-id-just-vote/ https://rewire.news/ablc/2014/10/16/well-actually-pretty-har... Voting is enshrined in the constitution as a fundamental right. Not everyone can get a photo ID, especially when the state doesn't want them to.
- blisseyGo 6y ago
  > Not everyone can get a photo ID, especially when the state doesn't want them to That's such an asinine and patronizing comment. People need to stop treating us minorities as some stupid and incapable people. Every single adult is capable of getting a photo ID - if they can be bothered to vote, they can be bothered to spend a few minutes getting a photo ID. The real reason people oppose voter ID is because democrats won't be able to cheat. Voting is enshrined in the constitution as a fundamental right but cheating is not enshrined. Also interesting how all 3 sources you linked are from radical left to left leaning sources.
  - qtk8 6y ago
    > The real reason people oppose voter ID is because democrats won't be able to cheat. Some people may genuinely care about voter suppression, whether you think it's a non-issue or not. I wouldn't be so quick to assume malice.

by cltby 6y ago

macintux 6y ago

I'm going with studies over anecdata, and also with the long-term track record that the South has earned of placing obstacles in the path of minorities voting. * https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/08/voter-id-laws-why-do-minorities-lack-id-to-show-at-the-polls.html https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/08/voter-id-laws-wh... * https://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/146006217/why-new-photo-id-laws-mean-some-wont-vote https://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/146006217/why-new-photo-id-la... * https://rewire.news/ablc/2014/10/16/well-actually-pretty-hard-people-get-photo-id-just-vote/ https://rewire.news/ablc/2014/10/16/well-actually-pretty-har... Voting is enshrined in the constitution as a fundamental right. Not everyone can get a photo ID, especially when the state doesn't want them to.

blisseyGo 6y ago
> Not everyone can get a photo ID, especially when the state doesn't want them to That's such an asinine and patronizing comment. People need to stop treating us minorities as some stupid and incapable people. Every single adult is capable of getting a photo ID - if they can be bothered to vote, they can be bothered to spend a few minutes getting a photo ID. The real reason people oppose voter ID is because democrats won't be able to cheat. Voting is enshrined in the constitution as a fundamental right but cheating is not enshrined. Also interesting how all 3 sources you linked are from radical left to left leaning sources.
- qtk8 6y ago
  > The real reason people oppose voter ID is because democrats won't be able to cheat. Some people may genuinely care about voter suppression, whether you think it's a non-issue or not. I wouldn't be so quick to assume malice.