Some Facts About Voter ID Laws

As I have stated in the past, leave it to Republicans to find a problem where one does not exist. Case in point, the surge in voter I.D. laws sweeping the country. The Right would have you believe these as necessary measures to protect against rampant voter fraud. The fact is there is no rampant voter fraud. It is just another smoke screen conservatives are using to suppress votes they generally don't profit from, i.e.: minorities, the elderly, the poor, and the young. They would also have you believe this is not just a Republican effort, but look at the chart below. (click to make larger)

Of the 31 states listed, the 15 states with the harshest voter I.D. laws, that's with a photo standard, or a photo exception, 14 of them have Republican Governors and both state legislatures controlled by Republicans. The number goes up to 20 states if you also count the non-photo I.D. laws. Only 5 states had Democratic Governors and both state legislatures controlled by Democrats. All but Hawaii, chose the non-photo I.D. option. Here is the breakdown: (Click to make larger)



DARK RED: Photo I.D Standard - Republican. Gov. - Republican State Legislatures

RED: Optional Photo I.D. Standard - Republican Gov. - Republican State Legislatures

PINK: Non-Photo I.D. Standard - Republican Gov. - Republican State Legislatures

BLUE: Non-Photo I.D. Standard - Democratic Governor - Democratic State Legislatures

(Except Hawaii which has an Optional Photo I.D. Standard)

LIGHT BLUE: Non Photo I.D. Standard - Democratic Gov. - Republican or Split State Legislatures

So you can see for yourself, when progressives talk about the Republican war on voters, they have the facts to back them up. As well as the efforts in New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Minnesota, where attempts by the Republican controlled legislatures were vetoed by their Democratic Governors. So as Ronald Reagan once said, "facts are funny things", and the intent here couldn't be more obvious. When your party becomes less inclusive, and driven by outdated ideological dogmas, that only appeal to the faithful few, these are the kind of things you try to do. If you can't scare them into voting for you, you try to disenfranchise your opponents most vulnerable supporters, under the guise of addressing voter fraud that doesn't exist. Yet another in a long line of Republican boogie men that have no teeth. So add it to the list, oil and gasoline prices, the attack on religious freedom, as an excuse to attack women's rights, the crusade against voter fraud, always remember... its all a lot of crap.