j-6
08-27-2005, 12:22 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/26/georgia.voters.ap/index.html
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department on Friday approved a controversial Georgia law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, and opponents immediately vowed to challenge the measure in federal court.The decision, written by John Tanner, chief of the department's voting section, says that while Attorney General Alberto Gonzales doesn't object to the law, approval doesn't preclude lawsuits against it.
"It's not over yet. We will pursue litigation in federal court," said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, chairman of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, which earlier had filed an objection to the law with the Justice Department.
The Republican-backed measure sparked racial tension during the state's legislative session last spring. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out at the state Capitol when it was approved.
Democrats had argued the idea was a political move by the GOP to depress voting among minorities, the elderly and the poor -- all traditional bases for Democrats.
The measure would eliminate the use of several currently accepted forms of voter identification, such as Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills.
"Requiring valid, photographic identification is a common sense step to ensure voter integrity and sound elections," Gov. Sonny Perdue said Friday in a written statement.
Perdue signed the measure in April, and it needed the Justice Department's approval before taking effect. Under the Voting Rights Act, Georgia and other states with a history of suppressing minority voting must get federal permission to change their voting laws.
Nineteen states require voters to show identification, but only five request photo ID's, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Those states -- Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and South Dakota -- allow voters without a photo ID to use other forms of identification or sign an affidavit of identity.
"The decision to clear the measure now gives Georgia the most draconian voter identification requirement in the nation," said Daniel Levitas of the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project in Atlanta.
Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, a veteran of the civil rights movement, said, "It is unbelievable, it is unreal the Department of Justice -- an agency who is supposed to protect the American public by enforcing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- is now involved in attempts to weaken the act.
"This decision takes us back to the dark past of literacy tests and other insidious devices that were carefully devised to hamper the participation of all of our citizens in the political process," Lewis said.
Perdue, like other Republicans, has said the measure is aimed at preventing voter fraud. "It will not be a hardship on any voter," Perdue said when he signed the bill.
The new Georgia law also allows people to vote absentee without an excuse, and for a longer period. Those votes by mail would not require a picture ID. Political observers say Republicans tend to benefit the most from absentee balloting.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, head of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, said he was disturbed by the federal decision.
"My fear is that this will spread across the country like a virus," he said. "This just shows how the anti-civil rights' machinery is in motion."
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I'm a little confused by this. What's the big fucking deal? Doesn't everyone have a photo ID in 2005? You need photo ID to do banking, drive a vehicle, rent a apartment or a house, land a job, get utilities activated, etc.
They even gave voters an option to mail in their votes if they don't want to show ID. With all the crap that happened in neighboring Florida a few years ago (and as rampant as identity theft is these days), tightening up the voting process is a wonderful idea. I don't understand how someone can vote with their power bill and are freaked out that a driver's license is the new standard.
If you want to live off the grid, or you have warrants or something, or whatever excuse you have not to show (or have) your driver's license or ID card, you probably aren't voting in the first fucking place. I understand that it's everyone's right to vote, unless you're a convicted felon, but let's use a little common sense here.
Am I just missing the point here? I know a bit about homeless rights and I see how this could affect them (although most shelters highly encourage ID), but I fail to see the connection between not voting due to lack of ID and being elderly or a minority.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department on Friday approved a controversial Georgia law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, and opponents immediately vowed to challenge the measure in federal court.The decision, written by John Tanner, chief of the department's voting section, says that while Attorney General Alberto Gonzales doesn't object to the law, approval doesn't preclude lawsuits against it.
"It's not over yet. We will pursue litigation in federal court," said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, chairman of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, which earlier had filed an objection to the law with the Justice Department.
The Republican-backed measure sparked racial tension during the state's legislative session last spring. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out at the state Capitol when it was approved.
Democrats had argued the idea was a political move by the GOP to depress voting among minorities, the elderly and the poor -- all traditional bases for Democrats.
The measure would eliminate the use of several currently accepted forms of voter identification, such as Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills.
"Requiring valid, photographic identification is a common sense step to ensure voter integrity and sound elections," Gov. Sonny Perdue said Friday in a written statement.
Perdue signed the measure in April, and it needed the Justice Department's approval before taking effect. Under the Voting Rights Act, Georgia and other states with a history of suppressing minority voting must get federal permission to change their voting laws.
Nineteen states require voters to show identification, but only five request photo ID's, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Those states -- Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and South Dakota -- allow voters without a photo ID to use other forms of identification or sign an affidavit of identity.
"The decision to clear the measure now gives Georgia the most draconian voter identification requirement in the nation," said Daniel Levitas of the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project in Atlanta.
Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, a veteran of the civil rights movement, said, "It is unbelievable, it is unreal the Department of Justice -- an agency who is supposed to protect the American public by enforcing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- is now involved in attempts to weaken the act.
"This decision takes us back to the dark past of literacy tests and other insidious devices that were carefully devised to hamper the participation of all of our citizens in the political process," Lewis said.
Perdue, like other Republicans, has said the measure is aimed at preventing voter fraud. "It will not be a hardship on any voter," Perdue said when he signed the bill.
The new Georgia law also allows people to vote absentee without an excuse, and for a longer period. Those votes by mail would not require a picture ID. Political observers say Republicans tend to benefit the most from absentee balloting.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, head of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, said he was disturbed by the federal decision.
"My fear is that this will spread across the country like a virus," he said. "This just shows how the anti-civil rights' machinery is in motion."
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I'm a little confused by this. What's the big fucking deal? Doesn't everyone have a photo ID in 2005? You need photo ID to do banking, drive a vehicle, rent a apartment or a house, land a job, get utilities activated, etc.
They even gave voters an option to mail in their votes if they don't want to show ID. With all the crap that happened in neighboring Florida a few years ago (and as rampant as identity theft is these days), tightening up the voting process is a wonderful idea. I don't understand how someone can vote with their power bill and are freaked out that a driver's license is the new standard.
If you want to live off the grid, or you have warrants or something, or whatever excuse you have not to show (or have) your driver's license or ID card, you probably aren't voting in the first fucking place. I understand that it's everyone's right to vote, unless you're a convicted felon, but let's use a little common sense here.
Am I just missing the point here? I know a bit about homeless rights and I see how this could affect them (although most shelters highly encourage ID), but I fail to see the connection between not voting due to lack of ID and being elderly or a minority.