Georgia Voter ID Law Heads to GA Supreme Court
Laws that make it harder for Americans to exercise their freedom to vote are fast becoming one of the most popular pages in the GOP Playbook.
From The Macon Telegraph:
The fight over Georgia's voter ID law appears headed to the state Supreme Court, which likely will be asked to rule before the November general elections in seven weeks.Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford Jr. on Tuesday rejected the state's latest attempt to require voters to present a government-issued photo ID at the polls.
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State and federal judges for nearly the past year have consistently blocked enforcement of such a photo ID requirement for Georgia voters. An earlier version of the law also failed to pass muster - forcing the state Legislature to make the IDs free and available in all 159 of Georgia's counties. Still, judges in both courts have questioned the law as an undue burden on voters.
Bedford ruled the measure disenfranchises otherwise qualified voters and adds a new, unconstitutional condition to voting in the state.
"This cannot be," Bedford wrote, pointing out that a photo ID isn't even required to register to vote in Georgia.
"Any attempt by the Legislature to require more than what is required by the express language of our Constitution cannot withstand judicial scrutiny," Bedford wrote.
Supporters of the photo ID law, including Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, say it is needed to protect against voter fraud. Opponents, including former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes, argue it disenfranchises poor, elderly and minority voters who are less likely to have a driver's license or other valid government-issued photo ID.
Barnes challenged the law in the state case on a voter's behalf. Several civil rights groups filed a similar lawsuit in federal court.
"Judge Bedford obviously understood that at the end of the day, you don't play politics with the most fundamental right - the right to vote," said Jennifer Jordan, co-counsel with Barnes in the case. "The right to vote is actually the one thing that makes us all equal."
Yet, despite the injunction in Georgia, just a day later the United States Congress is considering H.R. 4844, a bill that would disenfranchise thousands of voters by requiring them to obtain and produce government issued photo ID proving their citizenship before they could vote.
Donna Brazile, Chair of the DNC Voting Rights Institute had this to say:
"This is the second blow in less than a week to the Republican strategy to narrow and limit the rights of America's voters. This latest decision in favor of voting rights and against Georgia's voter ID sends a message to Republicans across the country, that their partisan schemes to undermine the right to vote will not go unchallenged.""Tomorrow, Republicans should think twice before enacting a law that requires voters to pay for photo ID and proof of citizenship. This Republican legislation would become the equivalent of a national poll tax. As Democrats, we believe that no American should have to pay in order to vote and we will continue to fight for meaningful election reform that ensures every citizen has access to the ballot and that those votes are accurately counted. While the Republicans play politics at the ballot box, Democrats will continue to work with state and local officials to help avoid some of the messy problems that have occurred this election cycle."
Author and Voting Rights expert Spencer Overton wrote about the dangers of Photo ID laws over at MyDD.com a few months back:
At first blush, photo ID requirements seem reasonable. But upon closer examination, about 20 million voting-age citizens lack photo identification, which is more people than in Delaware, New Mexico, and 14 other states combined. In places like Wisconsin, 23% of seniors lack a state-issued photo ID, and 78% of young black men ages 18-24 lack a driver's license. At the same time, evidence of fraud is rare (a study of all Ohio counties found 4 cases of fraud at the polls out of 9 million ballots cast).Voting is different than flying, buying cigarettes, and other activities that require photo ID. For example, it makes sense to prevent 1000 legitimate travelers without ID from boarding an airplane to stop one terrorist who could blow up the plane, but it doesn't make sense to prevent 1000 legitimate voters from casting a ballot in the off chance that we'll stop one improper voter. Such an approach moves us away from rather than closer to the objective of democracy--ascertaining the will of the people. Based on the current evidence, a photo ID is likely to result in more rather than fewer erroneous election outcomes.
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