4 ms·

There is a big push around getting people these identifications. Most of the GOTV and citizen action groups I know of try their best to get those. But there are

There is a big push around getting people these identifications. Most of the GOTV and citizen action groups I know of try their best to get those. But there are still significant barriers. For example, getting a photo ID requires some proof of identity or else we end up in a chicken/egg situation. Typically this is an official birth certificate. Those are typically well over ~$60. Additionally, the type of person poor/old/infirm/... enough to not have a photo ID doesn't have a car (or they'd have a drivers license!), and often has significant difficulty just getting to the ID center. If they secure transportation, the next challenge is getting time off work to get to the ID center. Ask any person in poverty about getting time off work and you'll see that's no easy feat. Beyond that, the hours of the center that provides identification can be even more challenging: one notable example came out of the Wisconsin voter ID lawsuit. Wisconsin left the voter ID distribution up to the DMV. There was exactly one service center in the state open on Saturday, none on Sunday. And the ones open during the week had unpredictable hours. One DMV was located in Fort Atkinson, WI - its hours were 8:15 - 4:15, the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. The other options were 20 miles away at least. So for a hypothetical poor person in Fort Atkinson, WI - or any small town like it - the local Democratic party could need to pony up $70 for a replacement birth certificate, and drive him miles away to a DMV that has sane hours for him to get his photo ID. I think the problem here is that you're approaching this problem the wrong way: you're coming to it with the impression that getting a photo ID is a low bar. The problem is that, for whatever reason (budget cuts? malice?) photo IDs are _difficult_ to get for the same people that need them.

anigbrowl 12y ago
I've heard these arguments a million times. IDs are not that difficult to get or people who needed them to function in other spheres wouldn't be able to get them either. So some DMV offices were open weird hours or required traveling some distance. Well yes, Wisconsin is a pretty low density state and the same problems obtain in any rural area. The argument I'm making (and which people keep missing) is not that Democrats should be paying for people's birth certificates out of party funds, but that Democrats should be saying 'Yes, we support voter ID' and then using that position as political leverage to obtain funding for/make administrative changes to/launch lawsuits over deliberate barriers placed in the path of people who are being hindered from getting the ID they're entitled to have. Have you noticed how the mainstream Republicans manage to play both ends of the immigration issue? They say they want reform, but that the border has to be secured first. Democrats should be saying 'we want voter ID law, but we need to fix the state's administration system first so people can get their ID.' Instead they say 'oh no voter ID is evil' and give the Republicans (and the Tea Party in particular) a free hand to say that Democrats want to commit electoral fraud, because the Democrats are too previous to pay lip service to people who are worried about voter fraud. This is an extremely stupid position to take. Refusing to even pay lip service to the idea of voter ID provides bomb-throwers like the Tea Party with the perfect opportunity to delegitimize any Democratic electoral victory, and has made it harder for complaints about things like voting machine integrity to gain traction. There seems to be substantial majority in favor of voter ID laws (70-80%, looking at major polling organizations), yet Democrats continue to cling to what is obviously a losing strategy instead of trying to own the solution. This translates into lost votes from people who don't trust them - I wouldn't be surprised if it consistently loses them 1-3% every election. For example, take a look at this McClatchy/Marist poll from last year: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/25/197687/marist-poll-for-mcclatchy-on-voting.html http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/25/197687/marist-poll-for... There is no demographic that does not have strong majority support for photo ID laws. Even Democrats, even non-whites, even the elderly, even the less well off - all have strong majorities in favor of photo ID requirements to vote. The same demographics that think discrimination in voting is a significant problem also express strong support for voter ID requirements. It's not the most rational position for voters to hold, but that's never stopped them before. It's time for the Democratic party to recognize that it already lost this argument several years ago. Its current position is the political equivalent of punching itself in the face, every damn election. I think the problem here is that you're approaching this problem the wrong way: you're coming to it with the impression that getting a photo ID is a low bar. The problem is that, for whatever reason (budget cuts? malice?) photo IDs are _difficult_ to get for the same people that need them. I'm an illegal alien. I don't need you to tell me about how difficult photo ID is to get.

anigbrowl 12y ago

I've heard these arguments a million times. IDs are not that difficult to get or people who needed them to function in other spheres wouldn't be able to get them either. So some DMV offices were open weird hours or required traveling some distance. Well yes, Wisconsin is a pretty low density state and the same problems obtain in any rural area. The argument I'm making (and which people keep missing) is not that Democrats should be paying for people's birth certificates out of party funds, but that Democrats should be saying 'Yes, we support voter ID' and then using that position as political leverage to obtain funding for/make administrative changes to/launch lawsuits over deliberate barriers placed in the path of people who are being hindered from getting the ID they're entitled to have. Have you noticed how the mainstream Republicans manage to play both ends of the immigration issue? They say they want reform, but that the border has to be secured first. Democrats should be saying 'we want voter ID law, but we need to fix the state's administration system first so people can get their ID.' Instead they say 'oh no voter ID is evil' and give the Republicans (and the Tea Party in particular) a free hand to say that Democrats want to commit electoral fraud, because the Democrats are too previous to pay lip service to people who are worried about voter fraud. This is an extremely stupid position to take. Refusing to even pay lip service to the idea of voter ID provides bomb-throwers like the Tea Party with the perfect opportunity to delegitimize any Democratic electoral victory, and has made it harder for complaints about things like voting machine integrity to gain traction. There seems to be substantial majority in favor of voter ID laws (70-80%, looking at major polling organizations), yet Democrats continue to cling to what is obviously a losing strategy instead of trying to own the solution. This translates into lost votes from people who don't trust them - I wouldn't be surprised if it consistently loses them 1-3% every election. For example, take a look at this McClatchy/Marist poll from last year: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/25/197687/marist-poll-for-mcclatchy-on-voting.html http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/25/197687/marist-poll-for... There is no demographic that does not have strong majority support for photo ID laws. Even Democrats, even non-whites, even the elderly, even the less well off - all have strong majorities in favor of photo ID requirements to vote. The same demographics that think discrimination in voting is a significant problem also express strong support for voter ID requirements. It's not the most rational position for voters to hold, but that's never stopped them before. It's time for the Democratic party to recognize that it already lost this argument several years ago. Its current position is the political equivalent of punching itself in the face, every damn election. I think the problem here is that you're approaching this problem the wrong way: you're coming to it with the impression that getting a photo ID is a low bar. The problem is that, for whatever reason (budget cuts? malice?) photo IDs are _difficult_ to get for the same people that need them. I'm an illegal alien. I don't need you to tell me about how difficult photo ID is to get.