Today, the Huffington Post published a piece noting that despite a nationwide GOP effort to enact tougher voting laws that will make it harder for millions of Americans to vote, the Iowa Republican Party is being noticeably lax about voter identification for their caucus-goers ahead of next week's caucuses. For the Republican caucuses this Tuesday, "voters won't even need to bring a photo ID to the polls." Moreover, voters who want to participate will be able to register on the night of the caucus.
The GOP has pushed to repeal same-day registration and enact photo ID mandates in other states—so why not hold Republican voters accountable to the same restrictions for the Iowa caucus? When asked about their stance on voter ID requirements, the Iowa Republican Party spokesman said, "I wouldn't make a statement on that right now." The truth is, as the Huffington Post put it, "the Iowa GOP enjoys full control over its caucuses, including determining voter eligibility."
"Iowa Republicans will … be allowed to register on the night of the caucuses without any additional form of ID. Such rules, while set and administered by the state party, are drafted in line with Iowa law, according to Gough. But in other states, Republicans have denounced same-day registration and lack of photo ID, calling such policies clear invitations to voter fraud. Perhaps most notably, a new GOP-backed law prohibiting the use of student IDs to prove voter eligibility has sparked a pitched legal battle in Wisconsin."
This kind of hypocrisy should not go unnoticed. It's clear the GOP understands the importance of same-day registration but only wants to allow such rights for their own voters. They'll allow fewer regulations on photo ID's for their own caucus, but for the general election they'd prefer that minorities, seniors, and youth communities have a tougher time casting their vote.
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