Voter ID laws

[SomeRandom]

So as an Australian, I legit have no idea about these sorts of law that are consistently reported worldwide
Since in Oz I have to show up to the booths or I face a fine.

So I’m merely curious.
What are these laws
And how do they affect citizens?

 

[PureX]

In the U.S. they stipulate the requirement of special identification, to vote, that is often difficult for certain factions of the public to obtain. Because these factions of the public tend to vote for democrats, and because elections in this country tend to be determined by small margins, the republican politicians have been using the power of their offices to impose these requirements in an effort to stop as many potential democratic voters as they can.

Republicans claim that we need these new identification requirements to stop potential fraudulent voting, but there is no evidence of any fraudulent voting going on. What is fraudulent is the claim that we need to make voting more difficult to avoid a problem that doesn't exist.

And these attempts at denying potential voters from voting are getting far worse, and more blatant. As they are now closing polling places and limiting voting hours to force voters to stand in long lines for many hours, and to leave their jobs, to vote. And again, these are all being imposed by republican politicians in areas where the voters are more likely to vote for democratic candidates. So it's all a blatant attempt to deny people their right to vote because they are likely to vote for democratic candidates.

And what is saddest of all, is that many millions of American citizens support these blatant attempts at cheating people out of their right to vote simply because they support the republican party. They are willing to destroy democracy, itself, just so "their team" can win.

 

[We Never Know]

In the U.S. they stipulate the requirement of special identification, to vote, that is often difficult for certain factions of the public to obtain. Because these factions of the public tend to vote for democrats, and because elections in this country tend to be determined by small margins, the republican politicians have been using the power of their offices to impose these requirements in an effort to stop as many potential democratic voters as they can.

Republicans claim that we need these new identification requirements to stop potential fraudulent voting, but there is no evidence of any fraudulent voting going on. What is fraudulent is the claim that we need to make voting more difficult to avoid a problem that doesn't exist.

And these attempts at denying potential voters from voting are getting far worse, and more blatant. As they are now closing polling places and limiting voting hours to force voters to stand in long lines for many hours, and to leave their jobs, to vote. And again, these are all being imposed by republican politicians in areas where the voters are more likely to vote for democratic candidates. So it's all a blatant attempt to deny people their right to vote because they are likely to vote for democratic candidates.

And what is saddest of all, is that many millions of American citizens support these blatant attempts at cheating people out of their right to vote simply because they support the republican party. They are willing to destroy democracy, itself, just so "their team" can win.

Im not democrat or republican. I haven't liked any candidate in they last 2 presidential elections. With that said...

You have to have an ID to...
Drive
Cash a check
Write a check
Get a primary Dr
Get welfare
Get social security
Pick up certain medication
Any goverment aid
To marry
Buy a gun from a dealer
Get a hotel room
Buy alcohol
Buy cigarettes
Fly
To pick up your kids from school
Etc.

So I'm not against having an ID to vote.

 

[Estro Felino]

If I want to vote...I need two things.
Valid ID and Electoral Card.
The Electoral Card is a document that proves you have already voted in the district to which you have been assigned at birth (or when you get the Italian citizenship.)

 

[Stevicus]

So as an Australian, I legit have no idea about these sorts of law that are consistently reported worldwide
Since in Oz I have to show up to the booths or I face a fine.

So I’m merely curious.
What are theses laws
And how do they affect citizens?

They're merely laws requiring government-issued photo ID in order to vote.

One of the key points I've heard raised is that, since government-issued ID cards cost money, requiring it for voting entails a poll tax, which is unconstitutional.

Another point which is often raised is that some people have a difficult time obtaining ID, such as those who don't have valid birth certificates (born at a time when such things didn't matter much). This is where the argument gets a bit convoluted in my view, since it seems a simple matter to pass measures to make it easier for people to get valid ID, even if they don't have a birth certificate or if there are typos on their birth certificate. Rather than support a law to make IDs free and easy to obtain, there are those who would rather simply have it so people don't need ID to vote - even though there are numerous other situations where ID is required.

There is also a side issue, perhaps more cultural than anything, where people resist the idea of being asked for ID under any circumstances. People sarcastically bring up the trope of the German Gestapo officer saying "Papers, please," which implies that asking for any form of ID at all (regardless of the circumstances) is a form of fascism.

For similar reasons, many people oppose facial recognition technology, as well as any proposals which might entail marking people or modifying them by implanting microchips on their bodies at birth. Although that would probably be more easy and convenient than having to frequently show ID.

 

[PureX]

Im not democrat or republican. I haven't liked any candidate in they last 2 presidential elections. With that said ... I'm not against having an ID to vote.

But it's not about what you are for or against. It's about every citizen having the right and the ability to vote. This is why in the past the obligation has always been on the state to provide access. To maintain the list of eligible citizens, and to have those lists at their respective polling places ready to be signed off as the citizens show up to vote. It has never been the citizen's obligation to establish his/her eligibility to vote. It has been and still is the state's obligation to do so.

AND there is no evidence that there is any need whatever for the citizens to be burdened with this obligation, now. The state is perfectly capable of maintaining an accurate list of all eligible voters in each voting precinct, as it has always done.

 

[SomeRandom]

But it's not about what you are for or against. It's about every citizen having the right and the ability to vote. This is why in the past the obligation has always been on the state to provide access. To maintain the list of eligible citizens, and to have those lists at their respective polling places ready to be signed off as the citizens show up to vote. It has never been the citizen's obligation to establish his/her eligibility to vote. It has been and still is the state's obligation to do so.

AND there is no evidence that there is any need whatever for the citizens to be burdened with this obligation, now. The state is perfectly capable of maintaining an accurate list of all eligible voters in each voting precinct, as it has always done.

Okay so this brings me to my next question. I hear this brought up a lot in the sort of “dirty leftist” circles I tend to laze around in (mostly American, oddly enough.)
What are these voter suppression laws and do they have anything to do with voter ID?

 

[pearl]

So I’m merely curious.
What are theses laws
And how do they affect citizens?

They are a disparate measure to legally disenfranchise voters of colour, mostly democrats, to restrict the voice of the people to the Republican party. In an election with a large voter turnout there is little chance Republicans would win. Republican State Legislatures will actual give themselves the authority to overturn election results!

 

[SomeRandom]

They are a disparate measure to legally disenfranchise voters of colour, mostly democrats, to restrict the voice of the people to the Republican party. In an election with a large voter turnout there is little chance Republicans would win. Republican State Legislatures will actual give themselves the authority to overturn election results!

Again merely curious, I hear this a lot actually. Why does it? Is it an income thing or is it harder for people of colour to obtain one? Do people feel judged?

 

[Stevicus]

Okay so this brings me to my next question. I hear this brought up a lot in the sort of “dirty leftist” circles I tend to laze around in (mostly American, oddly enough.)
What are these voter suppression laws and do they have anything to do with voter ID?

There's a long history of voter suppression in the United States, although this Wiki article seems fairly extensive: Voter suppression in the United States - Wikipedia

Voter suppression in the United States concerns various legal and illegal efforts to prevent eligible voters from exercising their right to vote. Where found, such voter suppression efforts vary by state, local government, precinct, and election. Separately, there have also been various efforts to enfranchise and disenfranchise various voters in the country, which concern whether or not people are eligible to vote in the first place.

 

[SomeRandom]

There's a long history of voter suppression in the United States, although this Wiki article seems fairly extensive: Voter suppression in the United States - Wikipedia

Wow. You know for a country that boasts freedom and democracy, you guys certainly seem to have a lot of hoops you force your citizens to jump through. No offence

 

[Twilight Hue]

So as an Australian, I legit have no idea about these sorts of law that are consistently reported worldwide
Since in Oz I have to show up to the booths or I face a fine.

So I’m merely curious.
What are these laws
And how do they affect citizens?

Forced voting is not conducent with a free society.

 

[SomeRandom]

Forced voting is not conducent with a free society.

I mean in fairness, if we didn’t “force it” I doubt anyone would bother voting. Too drunk and fleeing from our wildlife

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Forced voting is not conducent with a free society.

It's not forced voting; it's forced poll attendance. Australians can still spoil their ballot without penalty.

 

[pearl]

Again merely curious, I hear this a lot actually. Why does it? Is it an income thing or is it harder for people of colour to obtain one? Do people feel judged?

There is every possibility that the white person in America soon will be the minority. Especially for white males that's an unacceptable reality. These and other voting restrictions have/will become their safety net. The Voting Rights Act is going to be challenged in the Supreme Court, which is now a republican/conservative majority. To emphasize the extreme of these new legislative laws, it will be against the law to offer water to anybody standing in line to vote! The real scary thing for me is that years ago these absurdities would have been discussed in secret, now its in the light of day with the possibility of becoming a reality.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Im not democrat or republican. I haven't liked any candidate in they last 2 presidential elections. With that said...

You have to have an ID to...
Drive
Cash a check
Write a check
Get a primary Dr
Get welfare
Get social security
Pick up certain medication
Any goverment aid
To marry
Buy a gun from a dealer
Get a hotel room
Buy alcohol
Buy cigarettes
Fly
To pick up your kids from school
Etc.

So I'm not against having an ID to vote.

Lots of these don't actually need ID at all, but for those that do, which of them need the sorts of photo ID required in, say, Georgia?

WHAT IDS ARE ACCEPTABLE?

• Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free ID Card issued by your county registrar's office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS)
• A Georgia Driver's License, even if expired
• Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state
• Valid U.S. passport ID
• Valid U.S. military photo ID
• Valid tribal photo ID

Bring one of these six forms of identification to vote.

Georgia Voter Identification Requirements2 | Elections

And now keep in mind:

- 3 out of the 6 ID types (gov't employee ID, military ID, & tribal ID) don't apply to most citizens.
- most Americans don't have passports, especially people who can't afford to travel.
- people who have a disability that prevents them from driving can't get driver's licenses.

 

[SomeRandom]

It's not forced voting; it's forced poll attendance. Australians can still spoil their ballot without penalty.

Yeah we can just put in an empty ballot if we don’t want to vote. Or scrawl a nasty message on the paper. As long as you show up and get your name ticked off, it’s all good And you get a free sausage sizzle. At least where I live

 

[Subduction Zone]

Im not democrat or republican. I haven't liked any candidate in they last 2 presidential elections. With that said...

You have to have an ID to...
Drive
Cash a check
Write a check
Get a primary Dr
Get welfare
Get social security
Pick up certain medication
Any goverment aid
To marry
Buy a gun from a dealer
Get a hotel room
Buy alcohol
Buy cigarettes
Fly
To pick up your kids from school
Etc.

So I'm not against having an ID to vote.

For most of your claims you only need an ID sometimes. For example I almost never need an ID for writing a check. If I pay a bill from home I never need an ID. When I pay my dentist I have never needed an ID for a check (I get a discount if I don't use a credit card), I used to write checks at restaurants with no ID, the list goes on and that was only one example. And of course you ignore the most important fact:

Voting is a right.

When one registers to vote an ID is needed. Why demand one after that. No legitimate reason has been given for this law. If one claims preventing voter fraud one must show that the number of fraudulent votes was higher than the number of votes lost due to these changes.

 

[PureX]

Again merely curious, I hear this a lot actually. Why does it? Is it an income thing or is it harder for people of colour to obtain one? Do people feel judged?

To get these IDs requires documents that older people, and poorer people will have difficulty gaining access to. And getting them costs money that they may not have. So does getting around to the various offices required to get the ID.

When I moved from Illinois to Pennsylvania almost 20 years ago, getting a PA driver's license (even though I already had an Illinois license) was a major ordeal involving tracking down and obtaining my original birth certificate, social security certificate, and others. (They would not accept a photocopy.) It was expensive and time-consuming and humiliating having to stand in lines and debate with useless bureaucrats trying to get them to do their job and produce the necessary documents. It was an ordeal that old people, teenagers, and poor people would have great difficulty getting through.

 

[SomeRandom]

To get these IDs requires documents that older people, and poorer people will have difficulty gaining access to. And getting them costs money that they may not have. So does getting around to the various offices required to get the ID.

When I moved from Illinois to Pennsylvania almost 20 years ago, getting a PA driver's license (even though I already had an Illinois license) was a major ordeal involving tracking down and obtaining my original birth certificate, social security certificate, and others. (They would not accept a photocopy.) It was expensive and time-consuming and humiliating having to stand in lines and debate with useless bureaucrats trying to get them to do their job and produce the necessary documents. It was an ordeal that old people, teenagers, and poor people would have great difficulty getting through.

Wow. I remember just getting my 18+ card simply cos I was excited to be able to buy booze. In hindsight it was pretty expensive but living with the folks at the time and lucky enough I had a job, I didn’t feel it. But yeah that makes sense
I don’t think I even need ID to vote, funnily enough. Just giving my info accurately to the voter people usually gets me through. Maybe with mandated masks that might change I dunno