NATERNET

South Carolina Voter ID Law: Yep, Pretty Discriminating - Mother Jones

I’m torn on the various Voter ID laws being passed in states across our country. On one hand, I’m baffled that so many people don’t have any form of government-issued ID. No driver’s license, ID card, passport, nothing. How do you get a job? How do you buy alcohol if you’re over 21? How do you drive a car? How do you get a library card? How do you do just about anything without some form of government-issued ID? It boggles my mind. And based off that bogglement, I support the idea that people should have some form of ID in order to vote.

But the idea and the intent of these voter ID laws are not the same. As much as the people who support these laws like to deny it, time and time again the numbers come back that the laws unfairly disenfranchise minority, elderly and youth voters. Heck, in Wisconsin, the state passed a new voter ID law and then started closing down DMV offices in areas that were filled with primarily Democratic voters. That kind of thing stinks to high heaven. And it’s indicative of similar efforts in other states. 

If we’re going to make IDs mandatory for everyone to vote, then it needs to be done in a more inclusive and easy to obtain way. Not in a way that disenfranchises votering blocs that are predisposed to vote for either major party. That’s just dirty pool and a real underhanded play to consolidate power. Knock it off.