Justice Dept. OKs Georgia's (Republican backed) Voter ID Law

[truthpusher]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1072521&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

Justice Dept. OKs Georgia's Voter ID Law
------------------
Justice Department Approves Georgia's Law Requiring Photo Identification to Vote
------------------
By JEFFREY McMURRAY
The Associated Press
------------------
Aug. 27, 2005 -

(snip)

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.

(snip)

"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.

(snip)

"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.

(snip)

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, head of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, said he was disturbed by the federal decision.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1072521&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[liberaliraqvet26]

1. This adds an obstacle for us...

we not only have to pressure them to register, we have to pressure them to get ID's.

[MGKrebs]

2. Like we want poll workers rejecting our right to vote because

we don't look enough like our drivers license photo??? God, what a sad day.

I renewed my drivers license on the internet this week, which means no new photo. I will be voting in 2009 with an ID that has a photo that was taken in 2001.

[kbm8795]

13. I believe Georgia is also one of those draconian states

that demands fingerprints on their driver's licenses now, too.

[meganmonkey]

3. Must be all that "voter fraud"

:puke:

That is disgusting.

[wli]

4. Jim Crow on the goose-step n/t

[DFWdem]

8. No such thing

Just because the bill was introduced by republicans doesn't mean that it's a bad bill. Is there any particular reason why verifying that someone is who they say they are prior to allowing them to vote is a bad thing? Yes, I've heard the people who say it's too hard to get a photo ID, but that's ludicrous. Both parties help citizens register to vote all the time, so helping them get to an office to get a photo ID is not much different. Why is it okay to make people show an ID to withdraw money from their bank account or write a check, yet it's not okay to ask for an ID at a polling station?

[wli]

9. selective enforcement is the real problem

e.g. Black Democrats get scrutinized for looking different from their photo ID, white Republicans get in without even looking at the ID, etc.

It does reinstate something of a poll tax, but that's probably not so significant apart from maybe the homeless vote (unclear how significant that is, if at all).

[DFWdem]

10. Selective enforcement is easy to overcome

Have party volunteers at polling stations to make sure enforcement is fair & uniform.

[wli]

11. ... as if that worked in Ohio in 2004

They were there, and ignored. We're getting up to where there's going to be a new set of election fraud atrocities, and zero rectification of the past 3...

[MGKrebs]

14. And just how does having a poll worker look at this ID

verify anything? We are just opening up the process to more interpretation by more people with no measurable standards to go by.

To commit the fraud of impersonating another voter one would have had to:
1. Find the name of an eligible voter to impersonate
2. Find their precinct and get to it before they do
3. Commit a felony by signing the affadavit
4. Have stolen that persons mail to get their utility bill (or whatever)-or accept a provisional ballot, which does not have to be counted at all by the way.

That is why there are no known cases of voter impersonation. It's virtually impossible and it's a felony if you get caught, and you would very likely get caught.

Having poll workers deny eligible voters a ballot because you no longer have a tan and blonde hair is ridiculous.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. kick

[suegeo]

6. Why bother, they have electronic machines to flip the votes.

It's like they are egging us on, trying to get us to riot. Otherwise why bother with this shitty law, when they can get the republican controlled voting machines to flip the vote for them.

[Tsiyu]

7. Georgia's right wing continues its march backwards in time

And is proud of this.

[CityDem]

16. Georgia is a lost cause

I have never observed a state turn so red in such a short period of time. We used to have a dem gov and a US senator. Now the entire state is repub.

[RebelOne]

12. I had to show my driver's license when I voted

in the Presidential election here in Georgia.

[MGKrebs]

15. They might have asked for it,

but the only time you have been required to show a picture ID was the first time voting after registering to vote. After that, there were 17 different ID's you could have used to get a ballot.

[FlemingsGhost]

17. Yup ... get used to "losing" elections, people. For a long, long time.

It's gonna take a revolution.

[lostnfound]

18. kick nt