Arguments Against Voter Identification Laws

1159 Words3 Pages

The ability to vote is one of the most fundamental rights offered by our constitution, and it is intrinsically valuable to our democracy. Preventing voter fraud is essential to the stability of our political system, and that must be achieved while simultaneously not encumbering the voters with stipulations. Voter Identification laws and regulations have created intense controversy in both the public arena and political sphere. Voter identification laws require voters on election day to show specific forms of government-issued identification before casting a ballot. (Sobel et al. 2009) Those in support of voter identification laws and regulations often assert that these laws discourage fraudulently cast votes, and preserve the integrity of our elections. Generally, those who argue against voter identification laws suggest these laws are discriminatory in nature and are put forth to legally suppress lawful voters. Often the opponents of these laws liken them to previously found unconstitutional methods to suppress voter turnout. While giving a speech at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) convention then Attorney General Eric Holder chastised the states that began to turn away registered …show more content…

The study suggests that an individual’s degree of belief of voter fraud correlates to their political ideology. Republican voters are more likely to believe in widespread voter fraud and support for voter identification laws has increased in the examined time frame. Also, the inverse is true, democratic voters believe tend to believe that there is less voter fraud, and attitudes towards opposing voter identification laws have strengthened in the examined time frame. Many allegations of voter fraud have turned up in the media over the years, but when the facts are scrutinized often they fall short of the

Show More
Related

  • Voter Id Laws Pros And Cons

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    The voter ID issue starts with certain laws that, in the US, require that a person show a form of official ID before they are allowed to register to vote. This issue has split both Republicans and Democrats. According to Kenneth Jost, “republicans say [voter-ID laws] are needed to prevent fraud and protect the integrity of elections. Democrats say the laws are not needed and are being pushed in order to reduce voting among groups that skew Democratic in elections especially Latinos and African Americans” (Jost, p. 171). Both of these perspectives are valid, and with an open mind, can both sides have important points about the validity and inclusion of elections. On one hand, it is crucial to prevent fraud and keep the elections free of error, otherwise the outcome could be an unfair ruling. On the other side of the argument, voter-ID laws can cause discrimination and prevent people from voting, also

    Read More

  • Voting Rights Act Pros And Cons

    2349 Words  | 5 Pages

    Today, the citizens of the United States must push Congress to formulate an oversight measure to fix voter disenfranchisement. By itself, Supreme Court Ruling Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder does minimal damage to the voting process of the United States. The court ruled discriminatory practices of district actions half a century old unconstitutional, but left a responsibility for Congress to modernize the Voting Rights Act, to ensure that no district nor individual is discriminated against. Given the history of the United States’s voter suppression and the original need for the Voting Rights Act, a new, modern voter equality policy is of dire importance.

    Read More

  • The Changing Demographics of Texas

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hasen, Richard. "Voter Suppression's New Pretext." the New York Times 16 November 2013: A- 19. Print.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Voter ID Law

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    The new law has seen multiple, willing and able, voters turned away at the polling station for unacceptable or expired photo IDs. It also turns away people low on income, mainly because of the cost of photo IDs or the cost to replace vital documents, like birth certificates. With the implication of the new voter ID law, it is certain that it will have an implication on voter turnouts at the polls, mainly seen by minority and elderly voters. Those, like justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, prove that the new voter ID law has very lasting and unfair effects on voters who are deemed “unfavorable.” Even a U.S. district judge in Corpus Christi ruled that the law “constitutes an unconstitutional poll tax” and “has an impermissible discriminatory effect against Hispanics and African-Americans, and was imposed with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose.” African-Americans and Latinos are more likely to lack appropriate photo IDs, disenfranchising approximately 600,000 voters. Even if the state offers a free photo ID, these types voters, some of who are in the low-income tax bracket, may not be able to get their hands on necessary documents, such as a birth certificate which cost around $23, to obtain one. The new ID laws can prove to be a large hurdle for multiple types of people, causing a lot of stress to people who just want to perform their civic

    Read More

  • The Deep Democracy In America Summary

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ten states put voter identification restriction laws into place, restrictions targeting the minority, the poor and the elderly vote. To be quite honest, it’s clear that these voter restrictions are control tactics implemented predominantly by republicans, continuing to be an issue in the most recent election. Although in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Texas court rulings blocked certain new restrictions, fourteen states remain on the list of states with restrictions, including Wisconsin, Kansas and Texas. "We cannot ignore the recent evidence that, because of race, the legislature enacted one of the largest restrictions of the franchise in modern North Carolina history,” Judge Diana Motz wrote. In order for votes to be counted equally, all citizens must be allowed the opportunity to even be eligible.

    Read More

  • Essay On Mandatory Voting

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    To enforce voting to be mandatory , this will prompt more Americans to pay attention to the choices for their representatives. Mandating would stimulate the demand side, motivating voters to understand and acknowledge who they are voting for. Therefore , voting is to be a responsibility than a option.

    Read More

  • Low Turnout In Texas Essay

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    The wave of new voting restrictions passed around the country, mostly by Republicans, after their victories in the 2010 elections. Supporters of the law argue that such restrictions are necessary to prevent fraud. On the other hand, voting law opponents contend these laws disproportionately affect elderly, minority and low-income groups that tend to vote Democratic. Obtaining photo ID can be costly and burdensome because photo ID laws create a new "financial barrier to the ballot box”. It would have prevented hundreds of thousands of Hispanic voters from the polls just because they lack a state-issued photo ID.

    Read More

  • Should The Voter Identification Law be in Place?

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    The “Election and voting: Voter Identification” is a debate between three sides with different opinions about the voter identification law. Each side is represented by Chandler Davidson, Hans von Spakovsky, and Edward Foley. This debate is about whether the voter identification laws should be in place or not. Davidson is against the voting id laws stating its historical context and how it will affect the minorities, older and student during the election time. Spakovsky supports the law saying “the law would prevent voter fraud” and make elections strong and fair. Third, position held by Foley is that voter fraud is a problem and voter id law would help prevent it, but we need to make sure that everyone will have an easy access to the designated places.

    Read More

  • Voter ID Laws in the United States

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    Voter ID laws in the United States have begun to create controversy since the beginning of its adaptations in the early 2000’s. Voter ID laws in the United States is a law that requires U.S. citizens to have a special form of identification in order to vote in an election. The idea with Voter ID laws is that the state must make sure that the laws do not pose any sort of burden on the voters. These laws have been proposed in order to stop voting fraud. However, the institution of Voter ID laws has caused trouble in states, including Texas, regarding the various amount of identification requirements needed.

    Read More

  • Argument Against Mandatory Voting In Canada

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    Voting is a privilege granted to citizens of democratic countries. According to the Parliament of Canada, “all eligible citizens have the right to participate, either directly or indirectly, in making the decisions that affect them. Canadian citizens normally elect someone to represent them in making decisions at the different levels of government.” Despite having the right to vote, many Canadians do not exert their duty as citizens, leading some to think that voting should be made mandatory in order to prevent a dictatorship. Voting is the foundation of democracy; however, the participation rate in Canada has been decreasing since the 1960s. The Canadian parliament came up with Bill S-22 to “amend the Canada Elections Act”

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Early Voting

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the recent year’s American voters have brought back a way of voting that was used during the country’s old age of existence, this rediscovered act is known as early voting. Early voting started in the early 1990s, though the outcome has not had such a high consistency over the years it is still recommended to help the Election Day process in the country. Since voter turnout is not entirely consistent due to the process being constantly shortened by state laws, the argument against early voting is that it is a waste of taxpayers’ money, opponents believe it is ineffective. Although that is not the case, in his 2016 blog article, “A Brief History of Early Voting,” Michael McDonald inform readers on the brief history of early voting as he states how the rates of voters who has cast their ballots before election day has increased over the years, “from less than a tenth to about a third” (qtd. in McDonald) since the 1990s. This proves to show why the money being spent on this act is not simply being wasted. Although early voting has

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Voting In The United States

    1903 Words  | 4 Pages

    John Adams once said "You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." For many generations, our ancestors have fought for the right to vote. It started with the Civil Rights Act in 1964 which made it mandatory that white schools integrate black children into their institutions. The outcome of the 1964 election was a landslide, favoring the democrats, which broached the issue of civil rights legislation. In 1964 “only 7% of eligible black citizens in Mississippi were registered; in Alabama the figure was 20% (Kernell, et. al 2014, 162). The low voter turnout rate was because people of color were required to take a literacy test. This all changed when President Johnson

    Read More

  • Voter Turnout Assignment

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    Voting is one of the citizens’ rights living in a country. In the past, not everyone can vote. Voting used to be for only white American men. However, our ancestors fought for that rights. Eventually, any American who are older than eighteen can vote, despite their race or gender. In addition, voter turnout is used to keep track of the voting. It is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. Unfortunately, the voter turnout has been decreasing over time, and it means that there are less and fewer people who actually show up and vote. This essay will discuss the voter turnout in Harris County, Texas.

    Read More

  • Voting Right Restrictions: A Silent Societal Problem

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 2016 election will be hit with numerous voting restrictive laws making it harder to vote for the general populous. There are 31 states that enforce government identification cards prior to voting. Around 11% percent of people able to vote don 't have a government identification card according to Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge. That 's around 35 million people unable to vote due to the enforcement of government identification cards. These people include and are not exclusive to the elderly not driving any more, people without permanent addresses, and transgender who have non matching gender to their identification cards. Of those 31 states that enforce government identification cards prior to voting, 8 states require strict photo identification. It is estimated that at least 16 million people able to vote do not have eligible government photo identification cards, according to the brennancenter. Texas alone has 600,000 people that do not fit this category. The general populous has taken a hit due to votin...

    Read More

  • Importance of Voter ID Laws in the United States

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    Voter ID laws eliminate all forms of voter fraud and restore integrity to elections, Government-issued photo IDs are inexpensive and easy to obtain, and voter ID laws don’t restrict the right to vote and restore confidence to voters. To begin with, what is voter fraud? Voter fraud is the illegal obstruction of an election. Voter fraud is composed of double voting, intimidation, undocumented citizens voting, tampering with electronic or paper ballots, as well as deceased voting. Some opponents, such as Attorney General Eric Holder, suggest that there is not a problem with voter fraud.

    Read More

More about Arguments Against Voter Identification Laws

Open Document