Voting Rights

Exactly why the Supreme Court rendered a decision that substantially gutted the Voting Rights Act is beyond me. Walking into those weeds would be fruitless. Congress can correct the situation but is not likely to do so anytime soon.

Finding ways to dissuade people from voting, particularly if you believe they are opposed to your party, is not new. We've heard a lot about it in recent years because of numerous State initiatives to make it more difficult to meet voter identification requirements. Unfortunately some of the dimmer bulbs in the Republican Party have been taped boasting about how their actions will help their candidates have a better chance of winning.

I live in Indiana, which was one of the earliest states to adopt stricter voter I.D. laws. In 2003 I attended a political roundtable breakfast where then Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita was the featured speaker. Voter I.D. law was his favorite hobby horse. He said the purpose was to protect against voter fraud. Of course he knew and acknowledged that there hadn't been a case of voter fraud in decades. Our process was not in danger, but it made for a good issue so the state moved forward.

Journey with me now back in time to the '80s when I first registered to vote. A Precinct Committeeman in my neighborhood came to my family home to register me, I believe he viewed my driver's license, though I don't really remember. In those days and for years to come you would go to your polling place on election day, give your name and address and be looked up in the rolls. You signed your name and voted. Your previous election cycles signature would be checked and you were good to go. I was a Precinct Committeeman for a little while and appointed election boards, this was before the law requiring I.D. But here's the thing, election boards always had the right to ask for I.D. or some proof of your identity if there was any potential question. The right to challenge was always there.

The problem that some people face and it is a real problem, is that some never have a driver's license, this is common among some elderly and those who live in major metropolitan areas with public transportation. The answer of course is get a State I.D. but in some places it's cost prohibitive for the poor. The other problem that can be encountered is finding your birth certificate. For the elderly this is often impossible and even if they find it, it might contain mistakes.

We have a major problem in this country because the majority of citizens simply don't vote. Dwindling the number that do through draconian laws that discourage people is a bad idea. There's nothing wrong with asking people to prove they have the right to vote but it should occur at the time of registration and certainly we are smart enough to efficiently do this in a manner that allows for a wide range of proof. Aren't we?