Ohio Republicans pass new Jim Crow law disenfranchising 900,000 voters

[lame54]

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2011/1879

Bob Fitrakis

Ohio Republicans pass new Jim Crow law disenfranchising 900,000 voters
March 23, 2011

While Ohio public employees' rights to bargain collectively are under siege, the Ohio Republican Party executed a perfect sleight of hand by disenfranchising nearly 900,000 Ohio voters. In the most vicious and direct attack on voting rights since Bull Connor ran amok in the deep South, Ohio House Republicans passed HB 159 that requires Ohio voters to produce one of four state photo IDs at the polls.

The only IDs that will be accepted in Ohio if this bill passes the overwhelming Republican State Senate are a U.S. passport, a U.S. military ID, an Ohio driver's license, or an Ohio state ID. This is the most restrictive standard in the nation.

The Republican Party's target is obvious. Studies indicate that 25% of African Americans nationwide do not have a government-issued photo ID, 18% of voters over age 65 do not have a photo ID, and 15% of voters with incomes under $35,000 lack the ID as well. Besides going after blacks, the elderly and the poor, the bill also sets its sights on college students. What do these people have in common? They tend to vote Democratic.

The Republicans refuse to discuss an amendment that would have accepted a college student ID with a photo from their own state-funded university, including The Ohio State University, one of the nation's largest institutions of higher education...

[mfcorey1]

1. I knew votig rights would be the next attack! They are completing their agenda step by step. The

war us on our own soil and the terrorist are members of the Republican party.

[Angry Dragon]

2. Regressive Party

[roguevalley]

13. anyone know the constitutional status of this kind of shit?

[roguevalley]

14. anyone know the constitutional status of this kind of shit?

[highplainsdem]

20. According to this article quoting an Ohio State law professor, it will probably be challenged:

http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/osu-voting-law-prof-says-gop-voter-id-bill-another-great-embarrassment-for-ohio

[roguevalley]

33. thank you. I figured as much. He's going to bankrupt the state in

court challenges to his stoopid.

[JoePhilly]

3. Another act of desperation by the GOP.

The Demographics are turning against them, and they know it ... and since they have ZERO ideas on how to govern, this is the kind of nonsense that they come up with in their desperate attempt to hold power.

They may succeed in the short term, but not in the long term.

[msongs]

4. time for the FEDS to step in. Maybe Obama will wake up or hand it off to somebody who is awake nt

[truebrit71]

5. I wouldn't hold your breath...

...at least judging by recent history..

[Freddie Stubbs]

46. Similar legislation in other states has been challenged in court:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/world/americas/28iht-28cndscotus.12403138.html

[Divine Discontent]

6. they better do somethin' about this if they want to win in 2012. nt

[nykym]

7. Time to mobilize

and get a group or groups to help people get the required photo ID and flood the agencies with requests so they would have to add extra staff and increase hours. This would make the republics mad as hell but would also blow the budget too.

[bluestate10]

32. Exactly. Force the bastards to go to extra constitutional means to try

to get their way.

[county worker]

8. How hard is it to get an Ohio State ID? I moved from Dayton to Los Angeles in the 80's thank God.

Could a person register to vote and get the ID at the same time? It should be easy to tap a data base and see who has what ID and find the people who don't have one and go to their house and register them and apply for the ID. If they already are registered just apply for the ID. We have over a year to do it.

I know the law sucks but let's work to reduce it's impact.

[L. Coyote]

11. It does not matter how easy it is, it still shaves 1-2 % of Dem voters and alters outcomes

[bluestate10]

35. It shaves voters if those voters sit around scratching their asses.

The key is organization. Organize, get the IDs and smash the assholes at election time.

[L. Coyote]

39. That is simply insulting

[geardaddy]

12. I don't think that's the point.

The point is you have to pay the government to get the ID and that becomes a poll tax. So, essentially your paying to vote.

Having a US passport may prove who you say you are, but it doesn't prove you're a resident of the state your voting in or even the precinct.

You don't even have to be a citizen to serve in the Armed Forces. So, how does that even prove you're eligible to vote?

Having a license or state issued ID doesn't mean you're a US citizen.

This is all about disenfranchising voters.

Some poll workers here in MN got in trouble when they asked people for ID.

on edit: spelling

[SlimJimmy]

15. If it's like other states, there is no fee for the ID.

[geardaddy]

16. I'm not sure that true of all states.

[Shandris]

17. I'm not sure what Ohio, or your state, is like but next door to Ohio...

...in Indiana we definitely have a fee for any and every ID you want or need, and it's not a kind one. IIRC, and this MAY be off, its at least $10 all the way to $30-something depending on the type. But I think the non-Driver's State ID is $10 and requires 7,436 pieces of ID. Okay, not that many, but something like 4.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[csziggy]

29. Florida charges $25 for the card, for address changes, for renewal - EACH

* Show your documents proving identity (non-U.S. citizens can use these documents as proof).

* Show your Social Security card (if you have one).

* Be at least 5 years of age.

* Provide two items proving your Florida residential address.

* Pay the applicable fees:
* Original card: $25
* Renewal: $25
* Duplicate: $25
* Address change: $25
http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/id-cards.php

And non-citizens can get them, here are the proofs needed to get a Florida State ID Card:
United States Citizen
* Original Driver License or Identification Card
* Renewals or Replacements
* Name Change

Non-United States Citizens
* Original Driver License or Identification Card
* Canadian Citizens
* Renewals or Replacements
* Name Change
http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/faqkeys.html#NUSC

The only good thing is that you can register to vote at all driver's license offices.

[BuelahWitch]

49. Thanks for the explanation

It doesn't cost anything for a voter registration card. That's all they should have to provide.

[geardaddy]

51. Exactly.

You shouldn't even have to show that. Here in MN we have same day registration. All you need to show is a utility bill with your name and current address or have a neighbor vouch for you. And presto, you're registered to vote.

[BuelahWitch]

52. That's the way it should be everywhere

:hi:

[The Straight Story]

34. Ask Abe Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, etc - did they need a photo ID? Why now?

200+ years of American history without the need for a photo ID - why now?

[SoCalDem]

9. Republicans always try this stuff, only now they have the legislative clout to DO it

Dems in Ohio better spend some money GETTING VOTERS THE DOCUMENTS THEY NEED.. Spending bazillions on lawyers to fight it in court only means that another election will come and go, and people will not be able to vote. Correct it ONCE...and NOW, and maybe enough dems will get back in and be in a position to actually fix the problem:)

If republicans can so easily (and effectively) target dems & bump them OFF the voting rolls, then surely dems can also target those people and GET THEM THE IDs they will need..

The wicked truth is that many of the poorer/older folks could find the money they need to get the ID, or have family members who could get them the ID as a gift, but they don't do it because other things are just more important to them, and they don't get the ID... then when they try to vote, they are turned away.

I would like to see voting as an OPT out proposition..with NO registration necessary.. The Selective Service seems to know where every 18 yr old male is, and the IRS seems to know where we all are, Visa & Mastercard can find us, so can Social Security, so it's pretty much a no-brainer. Make sure that college kids get absentee ballots and clear instructions on how to fill them out...and maybe even postage-paid return envelopes.

We have to start beating them at their own game.

BTW.. a good High School graduation present is a Passport.

[L. Coyote]

10. Fixing elections is an old Ohio Republican tradition

How Kerry Votes Were Switched to Bush Votes.
Analysis of cross-precinct voting and vote switching in the 2004 Ohio Presidential election, focused on Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
http://www.jqjacobs.net/politics/ohio.html

They invented the Ohio punch card system to switch votes!

[highplainsdem]

18. ALEC is behind most of this copycat voter-disenfranchisement legislation.

Two links to articles from my long topic on ALEC:

Conservative Corporate Advocacy Group ALEC Behind Voter Disenfranchisement Efforts
http://campusprogress.org/articles/conservative_corporate_advocacy_group_alec_behind_voter_disenfranchise/#When:19:20:23Z

Voting: The Rising Degree of Difficulty
http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/rules-of-the-game/voting-the-rising-degree-of-difficulty-20110313

[Rage for Order]

19. Um, an I.D. costs $8.50 in Ohio

http://bmv.ohio.gov/fees_for_services.stm

If it's good for 4 years that comes out to $2.12 per year. It's hard to see how anyone can't afford an ID at that cost. That said, I think any bill that requires people to show a photo ID in order to vote should also contain a provision that requires the state to provide photo IDs to people at no charge.

There is one other obvious solution: Call the Election Commissioner and request and absentee ballot. Presumably there is no charge for those?


**eta: the fee of $8.50 is for a new photo ID. The fee to renew a photo ID is $7.50

[mod mom]

23. Um that is called a POLL TAX

$8.50 doesn't sound much to some, but if you are living on a fixed income, dishing out the money as well as getting transportation to a DMV makes it difficult for some. Here is some statistics:

1. A Georgia analysis showed that 20% of all people over 60 and 35% over 75 don't have a driver's license;

2. U Wisconsin study in Milwaukee County found that 53% of Af-Am and 57% of Hispanics had no license vs 15% whites. The disparity was worse in the 18-24 age group: 74% Af-Am are without a license as are 66% Hispanic vs. 29% whites.

3. The 2000 census data provides evidence in terms of vehicle ownership in Cleveland and East Cleveland, where 32% of Af-Am households did not have a vehicle. Across the county, ownership of a vehicle is closely related to household income.

All these people will find it exceptionally difficult to vote. This bill is worse than a poll tax, it is an effective bar to hundreds of thousands.

SOURCE: Norman Robbins, CASE Ohio

It's about targeting the poor and students (they don't allow student ids and some students, because they're from out of state & might have to keep home addresses from student loan reasons/parental tax reasons won't be able to get a state id.

[Rage for Order]

25. Did you bother to read past my subject line?

If you did, you would have seen the part where I said "I think any bill that requires people to show a photo ID in order to vote should also contain a provision that requires the state to provide photo IDs to people at no charge."

[mod mom]

27. In fact, Ohio will have to, but there is more to consider:

-snip

Plus, despite Ohio House Bill calling for free IDs, they do not address the costs of getting the documents that are required to obtain a State ID. In Weinschenk v. Missouri, the Court held the "cost of obtaining secondary documents, which eligible voters who lacked photo ID were required to pay in order to vote, were equivalent to a poll tax."

In Ohio, the cost of secondary documents will run from $21.50 to over $345, which would fall under an unconstitutional poll tax according to the US Supreme Court. In order to get an Ohio State ID a resident needs to provide proof of residency (utility bill), proof of citizenship (passport, certificate of naturalization, or birth certificate), and proof of social security number (social security card). A birth certificate cots $21.50 from the Ohio Department of Vital Statistics. A passport starts at $55 from the US Department of State. A certified copy of a naturalization certificate from the US Department of Homeland Security costs $345. Obtaining a social security card is free, but requires a birth certificate.

It doesn't take a constitutional scholar to see where House Bill 159 will fall short of requirements laid out by the US Supreme Court. I found this in 10 minutes of Google searching and I don't think the Speaker of the House, a former judge himself, can claim ignorance of the constitutional issues. The question remains, Why force this through with such obvious flaws when it will be found unconstitutional during the first 2 minutes of a court case?

-snip
http://www.progressohio.org/blog/2011/03/the-new-poll-tax-round-2-house-gop-vs-the-constitution.html

article worth a full read.

[Rage for Order]

28. Well, if it's unconstitutional then what difference does it make?

There's also the alternative of requesting an absentee ballot. Given the ease with which electronic voting machines can be manipulated, that's the better way to go whether one has a photo ID or not.

[quinnox]

21. It costs $8.50 for a Ohio state ID

http://www.bmv.ohio.gov/fees_for_services.stm


Not only that, but to get one to begin with you must produce the following, which means more money to spend because most people don't have their birth certificate lying around:

Applicant must provide proof of the following:

+ Full legal name
+ Date of birth
+ Social Security number (if one has ever been assigned),
+ Legal presence (U.S. Birth Certificate, valid U.S. Passport/Passport Card, Naturalization Papers, USCIS documents),
+

Residency.


This has to be challenged in courts as unconstitutional.

[Freddie Stubbs]

44. Challenged and upheld:

U.S. Supreme Court upholds voter identification law in Indiana

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday upheld Indiana's voter-identification law, declaring that a requirement to produce photo identification is not unconstitutional and that the state has a "valid interest" in improving election procedures as well as deterring fraud.

In a 6-to-3 ruling in one of the most eagerly awaited election-law cases in years, the court rejected arguments that Indiana's law, probably the strictest in the country, imposes unjustified burdens on people who are old, poor or members of minority groups and less likely to have driver's licenses or other acceptable forms of identification.

The ruling, coming just eight days before the Indiana primary and at the height of a presidential election campaign, upheld rulings by a federal district court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which had thrown out challenges to the 2005 law.

Justice John Paul Stevens, who announced the judgment of the court and wrote an opinion in which Chief John Roberts Jr. and Anthony Kennedy joined, alluded to — and brushed aside — complaints that the law benefits Republicans and works against Democrats, whose ranks are more likely to include poor people or those in minority groups.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/world/americas/28iht-28cndscotus.12403138.html

[hifiguy]

24. The Repigs are working overtime

paving the road to fascism.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. 20th century, 19th century, 18th century....15th century...

...how much further? :shrug:

[Hugabear]

30. I've seen people here on DU that seem to support this idea as well

On the surface, it makes sense, which is why I think some people support it.

But dig a little deeper, and it's apparent that it's nothing more than a poll tax.

[L. Coyote]

40. You've heard about social network multiple personality software, right?

It helps if you are already crazy :rofl:

[bluestate10]

31. Organization can defeat republican efforts.

Advocates that work with minorities and the aged need organize now and get state IDs. Call republican's bluff, force them to go to extra Constitutional means to attempt to deny voting rights. Then decimate them at the polls.

[L. Coyote]

41. Why are you caving in like that? The Republican organization is defeating democratic efforts.

And you are just going along with the idea? Making the Dems work harder for fewer victories is not a good idea!

[lsewpershad]

36. I'm so sick

of reading shit like this. Is there nothing that can be done about actions like this. Progressives and democrats better get their act together and recruit and vote into every political office more progressives so this kind of shit does not continue to happen to america.

[liam_laddie]

37. As of late today I cannot find that it passed in the OH Senate.

If there is enough outcry, and I think there is, perhaps some R Senators will vote no. BTW, both Sec of State Jon Husted and that little SOB John K-sick
should be recalled. Both tools of the Fascist Party. :puke:

[Tx4obama]

38. This might be a stupid question, but here it is anyway...

Since the Presidency and the U.S. Congress (House & Senate) are 'federal' seats
how can 'state law' decide who is illegal to vote?
Seems like there will be law suits to overturn the state law citing the U.S. Constitution.

[Freddie Stubbs]

45. There have been challenges to similar laws in other states:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/world/americas/28iht-28cndscotus.12403138.html

[Pacifist Patriot]

47. The last sentence of that article just boggles my mind.

Of course when I see "woman who is a Republican" I also can't quite fathom it.

[Hippo_Tron]

42. Do these people understand that big city political machines don't exist anymore?

If they did, Democrats would win a lot more elections.

[On the Road]

43. People Over 65 Tend to Vote Democratic?

I don't think so -- that is traditionally a conservative demographic.

Not that this is a good law -- whatever legitimacy the idea might have had is belied by rejection of student IDs.

There's got to be some way to establish identity short of disenfranchising voters. Everyone has some sort of ID. And if they don't, photos are so ubiquitous these days they can be part of the process. But whatever you do, don't turn away 900k voters.

[Kingofalldems]

48. K and R

[Kingofalldems]

50. Are we allowed to spam threads internally, as has been done in this one?

Looks like someone trying to rub it in. :shrug: