“Who doesn’t have voter ID?” is a popular question asked by Republicans who argue that the ID requirement for voting is just a simple way to ensure the “integrity” of our elections.
There are many problems with that assertion — foremost: the integrity of our elections isn’t in doubt. The George W. Bush administration investigated the issue for years and found no evidence that voter fraud was being used to swing elections.
So why is the party that hates regulations in favor of a new, necessary government regulation on voting? Because of the answer to the question, “Who doesn’t have voter ID?”
That answer is obvious: People more likely to vote Democratic, something at least one Republican official has been willing to admit in public. And as they’re also disproportionately minorities, a federal judge has ruled that Texas’ law — which will accept gun permits but not student IDs — violates the now-gutted Voter Rights Act.
Getting ID isn’t simple, because it isn’t supposed to be.
In Pennsylvania, you need a birth certificate to get a government-issued photo ID. But you need a photo ID to get a birth certificate.
This is why the state’s strict voter ID law is still being blocked by the courts. But it’s also why Republicans won’t stop fighting to put it in the way of the right to vote.
