|
The so called Photo ID Bill passed in the Georgia General Assembly and has been signed into law by Governor
Perdue. I voted against the Bill. Almost once per week one may read an article or hear a news story about this controversial law.
There are two controversial
things the Bill did.
(1) It took away traditional methods of identification such as certified birth certificates; valid social security cards; certified naturalization documents (for US citizens naturalized); valid pilot’s license issue by the FAA and others (some of which may have been necessary to eliminate—like a bank statement showing a name and address). (2) Requires photo ids only to vote at the POLLS and then limits the photo ids which can be utilized (ex. cannot use an employer issued id card). Oddly enough, one thing the Bill did not do is require photo ids when absentee voting.
Two observations at this point: (1) According to reports, no evidence was produced during hearings supporting problems with voter fraud at the polls; and (2) there
was some evidence of problems with absentee voting, again according to reports (I do not sit on the committees which took up the Bill and heard testimony).
You would therefore think that the proponents of the Bill would have pushed for the photo ids in both forms of voting or minimally would have focused on absentee voting as a primary concern.
Justifying the new law, some folks have made some pretty poor comparisons. One example I frequently hear is “we have to show a photo id to buy liquor, tobacco (or beer),
so why shouldn’t we have to show one to vote”. I have heard others as well (photo id to board an airplane; to rent a movie).
Here is the problem:
Many citizens quickly forget that not all Georgians drive (the major form of id is a driver’s license), and this especially holds true for a number of senior citizens who have chosen to surrender their license or not renew it. People have stated they can simply go to the nearest driver’s license office and obtain an official id (which was created under the law). Sounds simple enough. However when one travels outside of a metropolitan area such as Albany, they quickly find out that the convenience of many state offices simply do not exist. For many rural senior citizens, the nearest bureau to handle driver’s licenses is 30 to 40 miles away. It does not involve simply finding a family member who can take them to the office; it does not involve hopping on public transportation for that purpose nor locating a taxi for that purpose. Those modes of transportation do not exist. Therefore for many individuals, they will not be able to obtain a photo id and will not be able to vote. The League of Women Voters of Georgia and AARP urged a no vote on the law pointing out that elderly, rural and disabled voters among others are less likely to have valid photo ids. Also as one constituent has already experienced, to obtain a photo id, one must produce a birth certificate (hmmmm-can no longer produce one to vote but can produce one to get the id to vote). Their problem was that they were born before birth certificates were issued—so no id without one.
Does this really impact that many?
Well according to a quote from the Governor on April 2, 2005 in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, some 300,000 do not have a drver’s license. Short answer: yes.
So
the issue was not as simple as many at first blush thought.
As to those who raised the analogy of buying liquor or tobacco products, among others, recall a somewhat significant difference in the analogy. The Constitution of the United States of America guarantees the right of citizens of the United States to vote (see 15th Amendment - Race, Color or condition of servitude; 19th Amendment - can not deny a right to vote on account of sex; 24th Amendment - Prohibition of Poll Tax for voting; and 26th Amendment - Right of all U.S. Citizens 18 years of age or older to vote). Many individuals have sacrificed their lives in fighting to protect this right.
I certainly favor fighting voter fraud. However not providing an alternative for those individuals who can not obtain a photo id is not such a good idea. We are
not talking about liquor and tobacco. We are talking about a constitutional right.
You may contact me at: mvbsen@bellsouth.net ; mmeyer@legis.state.ga.us or by my telephone number in Atlanta 404-656-0037.
|
|
