Why Voter ID laws are superfluous

[HomerJS]

None of those are constitutional rights, so they can have more restrictions.

If the government is going to require an ID to vote, they should have to go door to door providing free IDs to everyone who is eligible to vote.

I still don't buy than mass numbers of people would risk prison time to try to vote illegally when it's hard to get registered voters to bother.

AMEN!!

 

[Greenman]

None of those are constitutional rights, so they can have more restrictions.

If the government is going to require an ID to vote, they should have to go door to door providing free IDs to everyone who is eligible to vote.

I still don't buy than mass numbers of people would risk prison time to try to vote illegally when it's hard to get registered voters to bother.

The government requires ID to purchase a firearm, isn't that a restriction on a constitutional right?

 

[soundforbjt]

None of those are constitutional rights, so they can have more restrictions.

If the government is going to require an ID to vote, they should have to go door to door providing free IDs to everyone who is eligible to vote.

I still don't buy than mass numbers of people would risk prison time to try to vote illegally when it's hard to get registered voters to bother.

Problem is if red state governments are responsible for going door to door, I have a good feeling they’d “miss” some areas.

 

[soundforbjt]

The government requires ID to purchase a firearm, isn't that a restriction on a constitutional right?

Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t seem to have much trouble getting around that.
And faced no punishment.

 

[Fenixgoon]

The government requires ID to purchase a firearm, isn't that a restriction on a constitutional right?

it is! congratulations, you've learned that no right is unlimited!

the fact that voter ID requirements disenfranchise voters far in disproportion to the number of fraudulent votes they prevent means they're completely ineffective measures! and in particular, voter ID laws disproportionately affect rural, poor, and minority communities the most - communities that have historically been neglected, or in the case of minority communities, purposefully targeted to minimize their electoral participation.

restricting rights are always weighed against the benefits of doing so. to register to vote, you need to provide proof of eligibility to vote in the first place. so having to do so *again*, after a voter has already proven their eligibility to vote, is asinine, and is merely a tool to prevent certain demographics (see above) from voting.

i can only speak for maryland, but a valid driver's license, MVA ID, or SSN is used for registration "proof" of ID and eligibility.

"but what happens if you lie on your registration form?" you ask. i'm glad you did. you've just subjected yourself to the following penalties (in Maryland, at least):

Giving false information on an application for voter
registration is perjury, punishable by imprisonment
for up to 10 years, and a violation of the election laws,
punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, or by imprisonment
for up to 5 years, or both.

 

[ondma]

it is! congratulations, you've learned that no right is unlimited!

the fact that voter ID requirements disenfranchise voters far in disproportion to the number of fraudulent votes they prevent means they're completely ineffective measures! and in particular, voter ID laws disproportionately affect rural, poor, and minority communities the most - communities that have historically been neglected, or in the case of minority communities, purposefully targeted to minimize their electoral participation.

restricting rights are always weighed against the benefits of doing so. to register to vote, you need to provide proof of eligibility to vote in the first place. so having to do so *again*, after a voter has already proven their eligibility to vote, is asinine, and is merely a tool to prevent certain demographics (see above) from voting.

i can only speak for maryland, but a valid driver's license, MVA ID, or SSN is used for registration "proof" of ID and eligibility.

"but what happens if you lie on your registration form?" you ask. i'm glad you did. you've just subjected yourself to the following penalties (in Maryland, at least):

This seems like a circular argument to me. If you have to have "proof of eligibility to vote" to get registered, why is it wrong then to ask a voter to show that proof again when they vote? Have they lost it somehow? I am speaking of in person voting here, BTW. Obviously there has to be accommodation for mail in ballots for those who are homebound, in a nursing home, etc.

 

[MtnMan]

Some voter restriction laws are certainly ridiculous. As far as ID is concerned though, you have to have ID to buy alcohol or cigarettes, get on an airplane, open a bank account, buy (or even rent) a car, rent an apartment, and on and on. Are you saying poor people cant do any of these?

A physically disabled person would easily not have a "current" government issued Photo ID. Reality is, they don't need one, and since getting toe the DMV seems to be the easiest government issued photo ID, is a challenge plus the fact you have to prove dame and age, provide residency proof, and a social security card, or document containing full SSN. And to complete the stupidity, ID Cards issued by the DMV in my state expire... WTF.

 

[MtnMan]

Other bullshit moves to suppress voters, or throw out ballots.

Signature comparisons?

Some want poll workers to "compare" signatures when a person votes, with the signature on their voter registration.

I registered to vote in 1968... in 50+ years, it is safe to say that signature probably doesn't have a lot of resemblance to today's signature.
And only hire handwriting experts to work the polls?

 

[hal2kilo]

None of those are constitutional rights, so they can have more restrictions.

If the government is going to require an ID to vote, they should have to go door to door providing free IDs to everyone who is eligible to vote.

I still don't buy than mass numbers of people would risk prison time to try to vote illegally when it's hard to get registered voters to bother.

They don't.

 

[Fenixgoon]

This seems like a circular argument to me. If you have to have "proof of eligibility to vote" to get registered, why is it wrong then to ask a voter to show that proof again when they vote? Have they lost it somehow? I am speaking of in person voting here, BTW. Obviously there has to be accommodation for mail in ballots for those who are homebound, in a nursing home, etc.

They've already proven elegibility. There's no need to again. If you did impersonate someone else, you're committing voter fraud. The risk and severity of penalties far outweighs any possibility that your single fraudulent vote tips the balance of any given election. And there is already processes in place to adjudicate duplicate ballots.

So if you're not worried about mail voter fraud, why are you worried about in-person fraud? What additional security does voter ID at the place of polling offer, above and beyond registration requirements, in a manner that is beneficial and doesn't disenfranchise voters?

Voter fraud in the 2020 election was miniscule - 475 fraudulent votes across 6 battleground states with 25.5 million ballots cast, or a voter fraud rate on the order of 1 in 50,000. Expand that to all votes nationally, and that number is likely to become even more miniscule.

AP review finds far too little vote fraud to tip 2020 election to Trump

A review by AP in the six battleground states disputed by former President Donald Trump has found fewer than 475 cases of potential voter fraud, a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 presidential election.

www.pbs.org

Re-examining how and why voter fraud is exceedingly rare in the U.S. ahead of the 2022 midterms

Unfounded and debunked claims that the results of the U.S. 2020 general election, when Democrat Joe Biden defeated former U.S. president Donald Trump, saw significant voter fraud continue to circulate online as the country gears up for midterm elections scheduled for November.

www.reuters.com

Voter ID solves a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[Meghan54]

The government requires ID to purchase a firearm, isn't that a restriction on a constitutional right?

Then why, upon registering to vote, a laundry list of documents are acceptable for ID, most of which do not include picture ID. Utility bill, SS correspondence, state gov correspondence,

This seems like a circular argument to me. If you have to have "proof of eligibility to vote" to get registered, why is it wrong then to ask a voter to show that proof again when they vote? Have they lost it somehow? I am speaking of in person voting here, BTW. Obviously there has to be accommodation for mail in ballots for those who are homebound, in a nursing home, etc.

Proof of ID can also be a utility bill, bank acct, govt correspondence with name and addy…like from SS, property tax paid receipt, etc.

So one can use a combo of the above to register but only photo ID to vote? Why?

 

[Greenman]

If you don't need to identify yourself to exercise one right then you don't need to identify yourself for any of them. Why should we get to pick and choose?

 

[fskimospy]

If you don't need to identify yourself to exercise one right then you don't need to identify yourself for any of them. Why should we get to pick and choose?

The government needs a judicial warrant to satisfy the fourth amendment so you’re saying it needs a warrant for all of them? Of course not.

The best argument against voter ID is not that it is unconstitutional, it’s that it’s stupid. The idea is extremely dumb and we all know it.

 

[Fenixgoon]

If you don't need to identify yourself to exercise one right then you don't need to identify yourself for any of them. Why should we get to pick and choose?

seeing as there's voter registration, it stands to reason that you'd be in favor of gun ownership registration, right?


..........right?

 

[MtnMan]

The government needs a judicial warrant to satisfy the fourth amendment so you’re saying it needs a warrant for all of them? Of course not.

The best argument against voter ID is not that it is unconstitutional, it’s that it’s stupid. The idea is extremely dumb and we all know it.

You prove your identity when you register to vote.
You prove your identity when you purchase a gun.

One and done.

 

[fskimospy]

You prove your identity when you register to vote.
You prove your identity when you purchase a gun.

One and done.

If you want to make an argument for why voter ID is good then do it, you can’t justify it by saying gun ID laws are good.

You won’t be able to, by the way, because voter ID laws are stupid and pointless.

 

[MtnMan]

If you want to make an argument for why voter ID is good then do it, you can’t justify it by saying gun ID laws are good.

You won’t be able to, by the way, because voter ID laws are stupid and pointless.

You clearly missed my point.
I proved my identity when I registered to vote.
I proved my identity when I purchased a gun.

That's my one and done... There is no need to prove my ID every time you vote or carry your gun.
In my state, I can vote without showing ID, though republicans are trying hard to change that.
In my state, I can carry my gun without showing ID.

 

[ElFenix]

how to steal an election part 49876423:

Brazos County won’t restore Texas A&M early-voting location despite students’ pushback

County commissioners decided Tuesday that A&M still won’t have an on-campus early-voting location for the 2022 elections, despite admitting it was a mistake to eliminate it for the first time in years.

Texas A&M’s early-voting site not restored by Brazos County commissioners

County commissioners decided Tuesday that A&M still won’t have an on-campus early-voting location for the 2022 elections, despite admitting it was a mistake to eliminate it for the first time in years.

www.texastribune.org

 

[Paratus]

how to steal an election part 49876423:

Texas A&M’s early-voting site not restored by Brazos County commissioners

County commissioners decided Tuesday that A&M still won’t have an on-campus early-voting location for the 2022 elections, despite admitting it was a mistake to eliminate it for the first time in years.

www.texastribune.org

Well for statewide offices gerrymandering just doesn’t work. So gotta fall back on good old voter disenfranchisement.

 

[Vic]

Not sure if you all have seen Johnny Harris' latest on this subject, but it is a must watch. Basically breaks down what people here are saying about the GOP, while explaining how they've already done it.

 

[ElFenix]

Well for statewide offices gerrymandering just doesn’t work. So gotta fall back on good old voter disenfranchisement.

it has indirect effects in that if you know that your vote doesn't matter for several races you're less likely to vote at all.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Not sure if you all have seen Johnny Harris' latest on this subject, but it is a must watch. Basically breaks down what people here are saying about the GOP, while explaining how they've already done it.

yea, America is in for a world of hurt. Been brewing for decades.