Voter ID decision resounds in state

This article thoroughly confuses me. Don't you have to be a U.S. citizen to vote? And at that point, wouldn't you have a Driver's License or other valid I.D.?

http://www.mercurynews.com//ci_9092322?IAD...mercurynews.com

According to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, you have to be a U.S. citizen. Don't people need ID's to do things like get a job, bank account, etc.?

http://www.sccvote.org/portal/site/rov/age...h=/v7/Registrar of Voters (DEP)/Register to Vote

Certainly most adults in the mainstream of society do have photo IDs, but when poor, disabled, or senior people don't drive, they sometimes have also not gone to the DMV to get non-driver photo ID. Lots of seniors don't bother to get photo ID after they no longer drive. If you are no longer driving and you aren't using a credit card, you can go a long time before anyone asks you for photo ID. Of course, it seems like people without ID also wouldn't bother to vote.

But very poor people might still have a strong desire to vote, but getting an ID can be a very difficult process. If you don't have a copy of your birth certificate on hand, then you have to go and order one. That costs money you should be spending on food. You then have to travel all the way to the DMV to pick it up, and that costs money, too. And the DMV is only open certain hours, and maybe you work or care for a young or elderly person during those hours. Or maybe you're disabled and it's hard enough to get to the polling place, let alone to the DMV or whatever.

Some people don't have jobs where they need IDs, and a lot of poor people don't keep bank accounts. You cash your cheque elsewhere.

I'm very strongly against this ruling. Voter fraud is a really minor problem - this whole law was created primarily by conservative politicians to disenfranchise poor voters, who typically vote Democratic. I believe we should never create disincentives for people to vote.

As a social worker I sometimes help people get IDs and it's a major pain! There have been times it's actually impossible because of problems with birth certificates. You would be surprised how many people have no ID.

Yes, I have only a very faint copy of my birth certificate. I know the day is coming when I'll have to order a freshly certified copy of it, and I absolutely dread that day. It's not going to be easy to order it from the other end of the country, and if I didn't have internet access, I wouldn't know where to begin looking up how to obtain it.

Thanks for the feedback. I knew there had to be an answer but not having an ID is something I can't fathom. Don't seniors want their IDs to get their senior discounts? Even if the license expired, can't they still use it as a form of ID, provided they don't drive anymore? I guess if you're poor, you don't need an ID to register for college since you can't afford it.

I agree, the proposed law is lame. Of course, it's always conservative jerks who want to make things harder for the poor. I just can't even fathom the idea of not voting. It's just something I always thought was a privilege but also a responsibility. If you don't vote, it's like saying you don't care. And I have always believed that we all ultimately vote which companies and values we want to support when we buy anything.

QUOTE (ArsNova @ Apr 29 2008, 07:32 PM)

Voter fraud is a really minor problem - this whole law was created primarily by conservative politicians to disenfranchise poor voters.

I don't usually respond to these posts, but it's irksome to me when there is only one prevailing opinion. Who says voter fraud is a minor problem? The U.S. has millions upon millions of illegal immigrants living in the U.S., who have either lived completely in the shadows or have obtained stolen IDs and SSNs. I believe that a significant number of them have an agenda to (illegally) affect the political (voting) process. Open borders; everyone has rights of citizens for which millions have shed their blood for.

Come on, this was a law to combat fraud, not to disenfranchise poor voters!! It is a reasonable law that balances rights and responsibilities and helps protect integrity. The Supreme Court has ruled that on balance that this law is reasonable.

Don, do you know any illegal immigrants?

Wasn't the election where Al Gore conceded pretty much due to voter fraud?

No. Try reading Jeffrey Toobin's "The Nine". It's a great read, and discusses the legal issues behind that election up to and including the Supreme Court's decision.

In the 2000 election in Florida, it was primarily a case of peculiarly made ballots (which may or may not have shifted a lot of Gore's votes over to Pat Buchanan) and some very strange shenanigans performed by Katherine Harris as Secretary of State in Florida that halted the actual re-count of the votes. Of course, then there was good old Ralph Nader, who split some of the liberal vote. Thanks, Ralph!

In Ohio in 2004, there has been discussion that there was electoral fraud committed by the state (lack of polling spots and machines in those spots, causing people to wait in lines for hours to vote). But no large-scale voter fraud in that case that I'm aware of.

Well, not voter fraud but there was definitely some fishy business going on. The Republicans stole that election.

I hire and help the homeless on occasion, and let me tell you, ID's are a big problem. Most have had one but either have it stolen or lose it. With no paperwork, resources or even money to pay for a replacement ($26 now at DMV), they have to operate without ID's. It prevents them from getting day jobs, cashing benefit checks, using some social services or fending off police with nothing better to do. Makes them want to hide, can you figure?

Be aware that what you and I take for granted is a real nightmare for some. Try to get by without some basics like an ID. And contrary to popular belief, most homeless had one or two bad turns in life. It could just as easily be you or I.

For example, One of my helpers simply lost his job at Albertsons after ten years and never recovered. He had his own place, a new car and a great job since being turned out by the foster care system at 18. He was very happy and didn't see it coming. He had lost his parents in an auto accident when he was very young. BTW he lost his ID when a fellow homeless friend stole his wallet while he was sleeping because he had $20 from working. We have ordered the replacement. FYI, he is available almost everytime I need him. He calls me everyday he is available. The other times he trying to get help from Social Services without an ID (like refilling prescriptions which takes half a day, cashing his checks with 10-15% fee, or looking for a meal walking upt to five miles a day between different shelters). He can't even get a discount bus pass without his id, so sometimes he gets caught riding public transportation to a job and has to pay a fine or fear arrest. I am sure the transit guy checks the well dressed as well as the homeless looking people equally for tickets. Don't you think?

I don't think the poor or illegals will ever influence an election more than a Secretary of State, a Governor or a Supreme Court will, do you? Voter fraud with ballots and machines also have more influence as well (hanging chads, touchless screens fiascos). Lets start fixing things at the top before we pick on the bottom because they are defenseless. I don't fear the homeless or the illegals. I fear my government most. They try to dictate my choices and even my morals through intimidation and prosecution. You can only fight back through strength so all the people hurting or needing help the most are the least heard from. Have you ever seen the mentally ill or homeless protest? You could go crazy thinking of the inequities: tax breaks for the rich while we turn OUR mentally ill out onto the streets because we don't have the money..... The rich can take care of themselves. They don't need help. THEY ARE RICH! Wouldn't you love to pay taxes on a million dollars? It means you are one of the fortunate to be making a million dollars. Just my opinion.

Emphasize the positive and bless everyday you are healthy and happy.

This post has been edited by techvbjoe on May 7 2008, 09:01 AM

Thanks all for giving a voice to people who can't afford IDs. I guess I'm very fortunate to not have that problem. I got my driver's license 15 years ago and don't remember it costing that much. I just renewed it for $28. It didn't seem like a lot of money to me but I guess it is to some. I mean, compared to insurance and car payments, it's really not a lot.

And Joe, I do believe that many Americans are one step away from living on the streets. So many are living paycheck to paycheck and it's always a worry of mine. I know with the high cost of living, medical bills (half of all bankruptcies are due to medical bills), gas and food, it's really rough for a lot of folks. I have always been a proponent of universal health care and really hope our next president will be able to implement a much-needed viable plan.

Sadly, it's almost always the ones with the most money who have the loudest voices.

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Here's a follow-up story in today's Merc:
Nuns find Indiana is serious on voter ID
SISTERS IN THEIR 80S AND 90S TURNED AWAY FROM POLLS
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9179170?IADI...mercurynews.com

About 12 Indiana nuns were turned away Tuesday from a polling place by a fellow sister because they didn't have valid state or federal identification bearing a photograph.

Sister Julie McGuire said she was forced to turn away her fellow members of Saint Mary's Convent in South Bend, across the street from the University of Notre Dame, because they had been told earlier that they would need such an ID to vote.

This post has been edited by mobyfan on May 7 2008, 11:12 PM

A funny for the less serious: My friend just got his replacement ID. Just as most women do, he looked at it and said "that don't like like me". He wants to go get a new id because he doesn't like the picture. I think it looks exactly like him but we all have our own self image.

I always think I look better than I do. Don't you? I have the solution: Don't take pictures of yourself. You may not like what you see.

Happy Mothers Day! Every mother is a saint. There is nothing like a mother's love. Appreciate it because some people don't have it.

LOL. I sometimes think I look okay when I leave the house but then I see a pic of myself and look awful. But I also have not photographed well in recent years. I HATE posing for pics. And I suspect even though my hair looks orange in some pics, it's just the lighting. It doesn't look that god-awful color when I look in the mirror, otherwise I'd color it pronto!

My DMV pic is from 10 years ago. The original looks a lot better because they cropped it and zoomed in but after that, they did not crop it and it looks bad.

This post has been edited by mobyfan on May 9 2008, 11:59 AM