voter id

Hundreds of people crowded into three rooms to attend the House Elections Committee hearing to voice their opinion on legislation that hasn't even been drafted yet. Republican lawmakers said last week that they want to collect as much input from both supporters and opponents before crafting and filing a bill later this month.

Representatives from NAACP, Democracy NC, AARP, Disability Rights North Carolina and the League of Women Voters spoke out against a required voter ID earlier in what was expected to be a lengthy hearing.

http://www.wral.com/voter-id-assailed-backed-in-house-hearing/12213799/

The meeting is now adjourned (as of 8:30pm). The video of Part I is up at WRAL.com, Part II(video) will be available soon

Tue Mar 12: Public Hearing, Voter ID
4pm in Rm. 643, Legislative Office Bldg.

Wake County Democratic Party Chair Dan Blue pointed out that this voter suppression bill (which will pass) still deserves wide publicity and study across the state and not just by politicos in Raleigh. But it won't get that unless there is a public outcry from the many thousands of voters who are at risk of losing their voting rights.

If you can, attend the public hearing. If you cannot attend, listen in on NC Voter Radio or through the audio link at www.ncleg.net online.

“It’s odd that we have a constitutional right to vote,” [said] Rep. Mickey Michaux, D-Durham. “This voter ID bill is something of a solution looking for a problem.” Michaux noted that voters who cast absentee ballots are not asked for photo ID.

@jamesprotzman I read that as saying that 10.5% of active Dems don't have photo ID.Our work is cut out for us.

— George Entenman (@zabouti) January 25, 2013

It's easier to lose civil rights than than to gain them back:

And yet today, in the country and in North Carolina, we see evidence that there is a retreat from progress. Voter I.D. laws are in part an attempt to suppress the votes of the poor and the elderly, two groups likely to vote for more moderate Democrats. School vouchers, using public money to allow people to send their kids to private schools, would drain the public schools of resources and likely hurt poor and minority families who count on public education to fulfill their dreams for their children.

What we're seeing today is evidence, if people were willing to look at it, that the Civil Rights Act and other corrective measures were necessary. And moving backwards on these issues will make our country (and our state) a more dim beacon for freedom for the rest of the world to look at.

What will it cost to identify and provide more than 600,000 registered voters with "free" photo identification? No one knows.

That leaves 612,955, or 9.25 percent of registered voters, for which no match could be made. These voters may not have any DMV-issued identification. Of those, 506,763 are active voters, those who have voted in recent elections. There are more Democrats than Republicans on the no-ID-match list, 324,997 to 141,149. Unaffiliated voters numbered 144,968. The racial breakdown showed that more than half of those who likely didn't have a state-issued ID were white.

The experience in other states suggests that Republicans badly underestimate the true cost of implementing their ideas. Which brings us back to the opening question: How many teachers will have to be fired to pay for Deputy Assistant Governor McCrory's voter suppression plans?

In our country, everyone is innocent until proven guilty; voter ID requirements say everyone is guilty until they can prove themselves innocent. According to our Declaration of Independence, legitimate governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. That consent is gained through the process of voting.

The act of voting is a sacred American rite. Voting says that the government is accountable to the people; Voter ID says the people are accountable to the government. Voter ID turns American democracy upside down.

Misplaced priorities, or a move to disenfranchise?

"I expect voter ID to be one of first substantive bills that will be sent to the governor," said Rep. Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, likely to be elected to a second term as House speaker. McCrory is a voter ID proponent. Legal challenges by Democrats and civil rights groups are expected.

If that is supposed to have substance, I'd hate to see their idea of a bill lacking substance. At least there is proof that a lot of grease is being stolen...

Instead of spending money to try to fight the General Assembly on Voter ID, let's try another tactic.

Gary Pearce has some sound advice on how Democrats should respond to Pat McCrory's Voter ID scheme.

It’s shameful that Republicans believe their political future rests on voter suppression. But Democrats can turn this chicken shit into chicken salad.

But who's watching the watchers?

Wilson said the group’s objective is to have two observers at each polling place – an ambitious goal with 200 polling places in Wake County alone. “Observation changes behavior,” Wilson said. “This is where Voter Integrity comes in and that’s why it needs to be nonpartisan.”

You're damn right it changes behavior. It turns some people into vigilantes and others into potential suspects, and ushers in subjectivity based on appearance to a place that's supposed to be free of such.