High Court Poised For Voter ID Case

TBO.com ^ | 12/31/2007 | MARK SHERMAN

[devane617]

The dispute over Indiana's voter identification law that is headed to the Supreme Court next week is as much a partisan political drama as a legal tussle.

The mainly Republican backers of the law, including the Bush administration, say state-produced photo identification is a prudent measure to cut down on vote fraud - even though Indiana has never had a prosecution of the kind of fraud the law is supposed to prevent.

The opponents, mainly Democrats, view voter ID a modern-day poll tax that disproportionately affects poor, minority and elderly voters - who tend to back Democrats. Yet, a federal judge found that opponents of the law were unable to produce evidence of a single Indiana resident who had been barred from voting because of the law.

The Supreme Court, which famously split 5-4 in the case that sealed the 2000 presidential election for George Bush, will take up the Indiana law on Jan. 9, just as the 2008 presidential primaries are getting under way.

A decision should come by late June, in time to be felt in the November elections in Indiana and in Georgia, the other state with a strict photo ID requirement, as well as in a handful of other states.

The justices will be asked to decide whether the law is an impermissible attempt to discourage certain voters or a reasonable precaution among several efforts aimed at cutting down on illegal voting.

"There's more than a little bit of irony in going to the Supreme Court and asking them to rise above partisan politics in election cases," said Richard Hasen, an election law expert at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

The court's decision in the disputed 2000 election is partly responsible for the ensuing increase in election-related lawsuits and the loss of confidence by some groups in the voting system, Hasen said. Yet, the other branches of government seem more politicized than ever, leaving the court as the best option despite the 2000 election dispute, he said.

Indiana argues that demands for identification are frequent in today's society, and producing a photo ID at polling places is hardly onerous.

"In light of such widespread demands for ... government-issued photo identification, it is almost shocking that in late 2007 Indiana can be characterized as even unusual in requiring it at the polls," the state said in its court filing.

The Bush administration maintains states need not wait for fraud to occur to take action to prevent it. "The state's interest in deterring voter fraud before it happens is evident from the monumental harm that can come from such fraud," the government said in its supporting brief.

The law's opponents counter that an ID may be just one card among many in most people's wallets, but some groups are far less likely to have them.

Homeless people wanting to vote might face the most difficulty under the law. While the state will provide a voter ID card free of charge to the poor, applicants still must have a birth certificate or other documentation to get the ID card.

[devane617]

This is a big case and should be interesting to see how The SCOTUS handles. Many states have similar laws.

[Thermalseeker]

It is absolutely absurd to not have to show photo ID to vote. The founders had it right when originally you had to be a property owner, IOW, have a vested interest in the country, to vote. Of course, the founders also never considered that there would be the creation of a welfare state that has been extended from those who can’t to those who won’t.....

[devane617]

I agree. You need to prove who you are to vote. Nothing wrong with that.

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[Ann Archy]

Showing ID to VOTE is like a POLL TAX??? HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! The Democrats think their constiuents are SO STUPID that they can’t even get an ID, which means they can’;t cash a check, can’t get a job, can’t fly, can’t get a credit card, etc!!! That means these people are basically SLAVES!! ooppss, they ARE!

[Erik Latranyi]

Another big case to be decided by the SCOTUS in 2008. The other is DC’s firearm ban.

This may be a turning point in history.

[Thermalseeker]

This may be a turning point in history.

Considering that the next POTUS will likely nominate several SCOTUS Justices in his or (God Forbid) "her" first term, I'd say that is likely a gross understatement......

[devane617]

I see this decision as a “turning point in history” for our America.

[torchthemummy]

The opponents, mainly Democrats, view voter ID a modern-day poll tax that disproportionately affects poor, minority and elderly voters - who tend to back Democrats.

These are the same Dems that have no problem tacking on another $1 (or more) of federal tax per pack of cigarettes which, on a percentage of income basis, hits the ppor the hardest. A pack-a-day smoker would pay $336 in additional taxes tacked on to the federal taxes already imposed. Lump on state taxes and you are talking, at a minimum, between $800-1000 dollars in tobaccos taxes.

And yet we are to believe that a fee of generally under $100 for a state id/license is a poll tax?

This is one of those issues that you can argue with a liberal and there is literally no defense that they can make that doesn't reveal their true motive: more Democrat voters.

[Nickname]

A bump and a quick word of thanks for the work you do in maintaining this ping list. :)

[torchthemummy]

Let me amend that last post: A pack-a-day smoker would pay $365 in additional taxes tacked on to the federal taxes already imposed. Lump on specific state taxes and you are talking, at a minimum, between $800-1000 dollars in tobaccos taxes.

[DaGman]

I’ll still be damned if I ever have to show my ID to anyone to prove I’m a citizen and that I am eligible to vote. If they keep me from voting I’ll slap the biggest damn lawsuit on the state they’ve ever seen. I don’t have to prove a damn thing to some stiff sitting in a chair at the polling place.

[em2vn]

“The Supreme Court, which famously split 5-4 in the case that sealed the 2000 presidential election for George Bush,”
How did the author find this revelant to the article?

[chainsaw]

That means these people are basically SLAVES!!

Aren’t we all. We do not really own our homes. We rent it from the local government. If you don’t believe me, try not paying your rent.

[Ann Archy]

Idiocy....so you would rather be DIS-ENFRANCHISED by ILLEGAL VOTERS??? IDIOCY`....do you not show your ID to get on a plane, or have you never flown?

[netmilsmom]

Great.
So because of your stubborness, Omar in front of me and Jose behind me, who just wadded the Detroit river to get here last week, get to vote for the Dem.

Way to go.

[pnh102]

I’ll still be damned if I ever have to show my ID to anyone to prove I’m a citizen and that I am eligible to vote.

So how do you prove you are eligible to vote, when talking to an elections judge who doesn't know you from Adam?

[pnh102]

Omar in front of me and Jose behind me ... get to vote for the Dem 100 times.

Fixed it for you.

[Calpernia]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1518679/posts
Vote Early, Vote Often

bump thread

[Dan(9698)]

I’ll still be damned if I ever have to show my ID to anyone to prove I’m a citizen and that I am eligible to vote.

Have you tried to buy a decongestant that contains psudeoephedrin recently?

You have to show a photo ID every time you do. Even though you have bought the same at the same pharmacy just last month and they have the information in their computer.

If you have to identify yourself with a photo ID to buy medicine, why is it unacceptable to show a photo ID every two years when you go to vote?

Could it be that Democratics don't get colds?