Posted on 12/31/2007 4:29:53 AM PST by 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.
Not to mention that the vote was 7-2.
So, neither does the illegal, the felon, or the union thug voting at the third district that day? Just askin'...
By the way, I serve as one of those "stiffs"...
:^)
Amending comment: that was supposed to be “busload of union thugs”...
In Mexico, THE Senior document is the VOTER ID CARD!
Your mini-rant has to be one of the most illogical, idiotic, and self-defeating (conservatively speaking) comments I have ever read on this forum. Wow!
Thermalseeker ~ 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......
Counterpunch said this on another thread:
Hell yeah Hillary would put him on the Supreme Court. That way she could get rid of him but the rest of us never could.
The way I see it, its the perfect arrangement. Bill would get real power for life, which is what he really wants, and because of the separation of powers, he would be forced to stay out of Hillarys business so she could be president all on her own, something that Bill would never let happen otherwise.
Are you old enough to vote?
If you have to identify yourself with a photo ID to buy medicine
You must be a democrat.
I, too, am one of those stiffs and yes, by God, you should have to PROVE you are a US citizen to vote in our country.
I was in a Walmart one day after an election and hearing all this "oh those poor people who don't have an ID" discussions and I asked the gal at one of the counters if she had ever seen a poor person who didn't have ID. She told me NO they all have drivers licenses.
One time before I was politically involved a friend went in the Army and used my address as her permanant mailing address. for years I got her voter card. I didn't realize it then but found out later I could have gone to an early voter station and voted with her card (no ID, the perfect voter who has their card) and then on voting day I could have gone to my precinct and voted my name.
YES you should HAVE to show ID, WITH your voter card to VOTE.
WHY do you think the Dems are pushing amnesty so hard before the next election? They aborted all their little liberal babies and need the voters, illegal, dead or pets. Any name on the list can be used for fraud if people don't vote it themselves.
bump
LOL!
Spot on!
I hadn't actually noodled it out that far, but now that you mention it, it seems plausible. Hey, this is New Years, not Halloween! Enough with the scary stories!
In other words, you must prove that you are legal to be able to vote, to be legal to be able to vote.
There is way too much common sense going on in Indiana, SCOTUS will have to depend on kennedy voting the correct way or we will have rampant, no double rampant, voter fraud in 2008.
Your position is the height of foolishness. Yopu have to identify yourself (photo id) to rent a damn movie from blockbuster, get on a plane, get a passport. Protecting the national franchise is every bit as important. Grow up.
I’m just quoting counterpunch.
Thanks, and Happy New Year!
'Bout two weeks ago I had to show TWO forms of FEDERALLY ACCEPTED ID to renew my friggin' PO Box, even though I've had for 22 years and everybody that works at the Post Office there knows me on a first name basis. This is probably also related to the Patriot Act. This renewal was the first of it's kind I'd seen and it's the first time I've ever shown the Post Office ID for anything beyond Certified or Registered mail.
Interestingly, my FEDERALLY ISSUED pilot's license couldn't be used as a valid ID. I had to show up with my passport and my TN driver's license. It should be common knowledge by now that Tennessee issues driver's licenses to illegals if they bring in a power bill or phone bill to show "residency" and the state has been doing that for some time now. Guess the Feds aren't paying attention...I'm SHOCKED!
It is fun to watch the Dims twist and shout about why folks should not have to produce a photo ID to vote, though.....
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