Redneck Georgia Republicans Pass Racist Voting ID Law
A problematic solution for nonexistent problem
At no time during any of the [voter ID Georgia Senate and House] hearings did the bill's proponents cite even one example of voter fraud that would have been prevented by HB 244. After hearing almost no meaningful testimony, the committee passed the bill along partisan lines, with every Republican supporting it and every Democrat opposing it. During the presentation of this bill on the Senate floor, it became clear that it was riddled with problems and inconsistencies.
At no time during any of the [voter ID Georgia Senate and House] hearings did the bill's proponents cite even one example of voter fraud that would have been prevented by HB 244. After hearing almost no meaningful testimony, the committee passed the bill along partisan lines, with every Republican supporting it and every Democrat opposing it. During the presentation of this bill on the Senate floor, it became clear that it was riddled with problems and inconsistencies.
- First, it contains no voter education component to let the public know that the forms of acceptable identification have been reduced from 17 to six. So a senior citizen who voted with his or her Social Security card in 2004 could be turned away from the polls in 2006 because he or she was never told that rules had changed. Significantly, Republicans have brought forward strikingly similar bills in Wisconsin and Indiana. It is doubtful these efforts are a coincidence.
- Second, in the same bill, Republicans expanded the potential for election fraud by stripping away restrictions related to absentee ballots. Notably, cases related to absentee ballots constitute the largest number of verifiable cases of fraud in Georgia, including the Dodge County vote-buying case that was erroneously claimed as justification for this bill. In that case, about 15 percent of ballots issued were absentee. By removing restrictions related to mailed absentee ballots, HB 244 opens a greater opportunity for fraud. Skeptics might point out that absentee voters have historically voted for Republicans in higher numbers.
- Third, Georgia is one of 13 states covered by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because of its well-documented history of denying or interfering with African-Americans' right to vote. The Voting Rights Act specifically outlaws tests and devices, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, ensuring that the registration process is free from discriminatory barriers. Requiring additional, unpublicized forms of identification at the polling place inevitably creates similar barriers for African-Americans and other minority voters. The statistics to prove this are striking. Rural Georgians will be harmed because only 50 of Georgia's 159 counties have a Department of Motor Vehicle Safety office, forcing people in rural areas to travel significant distances to acquire acceptable identification. The elderly are also harmed by HB 244, because 36 percent of Georgians over 75 do not have a driver's license.
- Fourth, this is not simply about a photo ID. It is about the Republican majority dictating to Georgians that we can only use the form of ID that Republicans select. Proponents fail to mention that we can no longer use a valid student ID containing a photo, a valid employee ID containing a photo or a Social Security card as acceptable forms of identification. They repeatedly refer to a utility bill or a bank statement to justify the need for the changes. If those two forms of ID are troubling, let's do away with them. But HB 244 is a mandate to use Republicans' preferred form of ID, one that happens to harm senior, rural, minority and young voters. [more]
- Foes rip passage of voter ID bill [more]