Nuns, Students Blocked from Voting in Indiana -- Where's Congress?

As voters went to the polls today to choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, there was an overlooked peril facing all voters this year: a failing election system and GOP-led vote suppression. All these obstacles undermine fair and accurate voting, leading to potential meltdowns and the disenfranchisement of voters, especially African-Americans, the elderly and students.

Indeed, the Election Protection coalition reported by mid-afternoon some disturbing accounts from the Indiana and North Carolina primaries from early callers to their 1-866-Our-Vote hotline. All told, by day's end, the coalition hotline fielded nearly 800 complaints about election barriers. As Election Protection reported earlier on Tuesday:

This morning, in South Bend, Indiana, a freshman student at St. Mary's College, excited to vote for the first time, left the polling place in tears because she only possessed a private college ID and was unable to vote. The poll workers, nuns at a local convent, were trying to help the young student through her problem. While they were helping her, they realized that some of their fellow nuns, who had just arrived at the polling place, also could not vote because of the photo ID law. Not only was this group of nuns disenfranchised, but so would be four floors of retired nuns in their convent. "The situation this morning in South Bend is a glaring example of why Indiana's onerous photo ID law erects an unnecessary barrier to the ballot box and disenfranchises legitimate voters," said John Borkowski, Esquire, a partner at law firm Hogan & Hartson and Lawyers' Committee board member who witnessed this incident firsthand.

Why didn't the TV pundits take more notice of these incidents while describing the Indiana primary results as too close to call in Indiana as the evening wore on? Indeed, when you add in Obama-leaning minorities and students turned away from the polls because they lacked the proper photo ID, along with Rush Limbaugh's Republican dittoheads turning up to vote for Hillary as part of "Operation Chaos," the narrowness of the difference between the two candidates would doubtless have been even slimmer had there been a truly fair vote.

So when every vote counts, it's important that our election officials fairly and honestly count every voter -- a lesson progressives need to learn before the expected close election in November. That's in part because they can't count on a Democratic-led Congress, as Alternet reports this week, to take any action that can protect voting rights and our election system before the November election.

As Jonah Goldman, director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Right's Voting Rights Project, concluded, "As this historic primary season has progressed, record numbers of voters have turned out to exercise their fundamental right to vote. It is unfortunate, however, that many of these eligible voters were disenfranchised and unable to cast a ballot. In state after state, including both North Carolina and Indiana, we've seen eligible voters lose their right to vote because of poorly trained poll workers, problems with voting machines and inaccurate voter registration rolls." It's equally unfortunate that Congress and most state governments won't be doing anything to stop these abuses and problems that undermine our democracy.

And remember, these sorts of complaints were based only on reports from those relatively few people who knew about the hotline, not all voters who were having problems during the massive voting turnout today. The coalition reminded voters that voters in both states could call 1-866-OUR-VOTE toll-free until 8 p.m. EST with any concerns. Other problems arose that should arouse concern in a country that supposedly values every person's right to vote:

Other incidents from Indiana include:

Multiple reports of voting machine problems, including from a school teacher who had to leave without casting a ballot because he had to get to school before classes started. Additionally, he said the mostly African-American voters were untrusting that the poll workers would ensure their votes would count.

At another polling place, voters were not offered paper ballots when machines went down, and countless voters left without casting a ballot.

A voter, previously convicted of a misdemeanor, was prevented from voting by a poll worker. Election Protection provided him with the code provision which dictates that only those convicted of a felony and those incarcerated cannot vote.

Specific incidents reported in North Carolina include:

Poll workers at a local precinct announced at 6:20 a.m. that there were no ballots and voters were sent home. Election Protection followed up and discovered that the polling place had the ballots in a box which had not been opened.

Election Protection has also received multiple reports of registered Independents who were not allowed to vote in either primary, or were given Republican ballots despite believing they were registered as Democrats at polling sites.

Trained volunteers will continue to staff the Hotline to provide voters with free assistance and volunteers will remain at election officials' offices in targeted areas across North Carolina and Indiana. Field volunteers are on the ground to assist voters in person or place telephone calls to the appropriate election official.

The toll-free number, administered by the Lawyers' Committee is available to any voters who need information, assistance or need guidance in understanding their rights. It is open to the entire voting public, but targets historically disenfranchised communities, including Hispanic, African American and low-income communities.

The result of all these problems and Congressional inaction? Progressives hoping for a victory in November because of an upsurge of newly-registered Democratic voters, particularly young people and minorities, should join with voting advocacy groups to protect these voters' rights to cast a ballot and have it counted. That's because, as Alternet reports in a new article, the Democratic-led Congress won't be doing anything to fix any major election problem this year, whether it's flawed voting machines, unconstitutional voting purges or GOP-promoted dirty tricks. (Of course, some critics charge, a few of Hillary Clinton's allies may also use deceptive practices, too.)

For today's primary, in the absence of meaningful state or federal prevention of voting foul-ups, voters experiencing problems in Indiana and North Carolina are urged to call either Election Protection's hotline, 1-866-Our-Vote or the hotline of the Watch-My-Vote Coalition, which includes Voter Action and the NAACP-National Voter Fund (NVF), 1-866-My-Vote-1. (The first emphasizes live help, while the latter monitors ongoing complaints and offers follow-up assistance calls.)

Unfortunately, these hotlines just record the symptoms, while the federal government -- and relatively few states -- have failed to cure the underlying disease of our disappearing democratic rights. After interviewing Congressional staffers and voting-rights advocates, I concluded:

As a result of Congressional inaction, look for more long lines, failed machines, questionable voter purges, election-day dirty tricks, GOP challenges to minority voters and ill-trained poll-workers who, following last week's court decision, are even more likely to mistakenly demand photo ID where it's not required, among other voting obstacles. In fact, as Jonah Goldman of the National Campaign for Fair Elections points out, "In every primary contest we found voters who were disenfranchised with identification requirements. This ruling is going to further confuse voters and poll workers." And it could likely limit the ability of elderly, poor and minority voters to cast their votes in Tuesday's Indiana primary -- and in other states where such laws could pass.

All this will be worsened by the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the vote-suppressing Indiana photo ID law that could limit the right to vote of the 20% of African-Americans in Indiana who don't have government-issued photo ID. Even more disturbing, as Michael Slater of Project Vote, points out, "The Supreme Court's decision gives a green light to legislators in the twenty-five states where strict photo ID laws are under consideration. If these states act, they will disenfranchise the new voters that this year's exciting election has stimulated to participate for the first time."

In addition, while the mainstream media has contributed to the misleading impression that all the primary elections have gone smoothly, voting advocacy groups have found a far darker picture, even before the trouble-plagued Pennsylvania primary.

(You can hear on-the-ground reports from that primary by clicking on this link to the radio show, "D'Antoni and Levine," I co-host at BlogTalk Radio that featured interviews with three voting rights leaders talking about Pennsylvania's problems.)

The Election Protection coalition found:

Under-Trained and Not Enough Poll Workers: In each primary covered by Election Protection, the dedicated cadre of poll workers misapplied many election rules - from what ballot to give which voter, to what to do when election equipment broke down - causing voters to unnecessarily cast pro-visional ballots or, worse, to leave the polling place without voting.

Election Machinery Breakdowns: Last-minute changes in voting equipment and new procedures at the polls caused confusion among voters, poll workers and election administrators often leading to dis-enfranchisement. But it was not only human error and confusion; ballot scanners jammed, electronic voting machines broke down and new electronic poll books malfunctioned.

Registration Roll Problems: From state to state, eligible voters who submitted timely registration applications failed to appear on the registration rolls. Other voters showed up on the rolls registered with a political party other than the one with which they intended to register.

Confusion Over Voter Identification Requirements: Voters across the country were improperly asked for identification. Some poll workers, apparently confused about the requirements in their state, were implementing illegal and restrictive voter identification requirements, turning away eligible voters who did not have identification.

How do we prevent these screw-ups from denying progressives ( and of course those Republicans who may care about honest elections) the right to a fair election this November? How, in short, do we avoid a repeat of Ohio in 2004 in key battleground states?

The Election Protection Coalition has some short-term reform suggestions, but they're just not likely to happen unless the rest of the progressive community organizes to make these issues a priority before November's vote:

Over the coming months, election officials across the country have the authority to prevent many of these problems from happening. Election Protection looks forward to working together with those responsible for administering elections to:

*Improve poll worker training;

*Ensure proper protocols for dealing with election machinery breakdowns;

*Implement procedures to guarantee that all eligible registrants make it on the registra-
tion rolls; and

*Widely publicize correct requirements and restrictions about voter identification and
other procedures.

Will any of this happen in such a large-scale way to prevent election disasters and the quiet disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters come November?

Don't count on it -- unless far more concerned citizens get involved in the often arcane issues of election reform.

As Robert Fitrakis, an Ohio voting rights attorney and editor of the Free Press alternative paper, told me for the Altnernet article, "The system is still broken and instead of voting being a universally guaranteed federal right, it lingers under the shadow of Jim Crow and states' rights."

You can hear more about this year's election controversies, voting rights and the latest political trends on "The D'Antoni and Levine Show," with my co-host Tom D'Antoni, a Huffington Post blogger, every Thursday at 5:30 p.m., EST, at BlogTalk Radio

Read more reactions from Huffington Post bloggers to the Indiana and North Carolina primary results

Comments

[torrrep]

I hit post to early on that last post. You also have the right to peaceably assemble. Yet cities and local municipalities can require you to get a permit and or to pay a fee. There are all kind of rights granted by the constitution but that does NOT mean that those rights come without responsibility. The state has a right to determine its voting laws. As long as those laws and rules apply to ALL groups or persons then there is no disenfranchisement. Indiana, as well as other states, distribute photo I.D.s free of charge. Your ignorance of the law does not constitute disenfranchisement. Your inability to follow the law does not constitute disenfranchisement. Your refusal to follow the law does not constitute disenfranchisement. If you want to vote then you need to follow the law. I'm not buying the statement that "20% of black voters are disenfranchised" because of this law. Go to the DMV. Get an I.D. If you don't have a car then have someone drive you. If you don't have someone to drive you then take the bus. If you can't take the bus then call a taxi. If a taxi won't pick you up then walk. I don't understand how people can find their way to the polling place yet they can't find their way to the DMV.

[darker]

REPUBLICAN FASCISM doesn't want ANYBODY to vote.
The Land of fascists and the home of THE GREED. Get used to it.

[LCRover001]

It is typical right-wing play to blame the voter for fraud but to not look at voting machines which have no paper or any other form of accountability. It isn"t the machines it is the voters that are defrauding the process. The machine manufactures can do no wrong especially when they contribute to the Republican Party. Maybe if they donated to the Left more than the Right they might be held to a higher standard of accountability.

The taking away of constitutional rights by laws doesn"t make it right.

Our freedoms are being chipped away at one small piece at a time, it is done that way so no one will catch on to what is happening. Because this is a right-wing talking point it is fine and dandy with right-wing voters.

However while the Supremes are busy shifting blame of vote fraud off on to the people the machines that the people vote with have no viable accountability. Now we can argue all day about how maybe illegals are voting and that there are people out there voting more than once, but as long as the machines everyone vote on have no real checks to certify how the voter voted was recorded correctly then it doesn"t really matter if everyone votes twice. Because as long as the machines are vulnerable to tampering be it via hacker or via programming then no ones vote counts for anything.

[torrrep]

No ones rights were taken away. No ones freedom was taken away. Quit acting like a drama queen and just accept the fact that with rights there comes responsibilities. And liberals don't want to be responsible for anything. They just want to whine and cry and make accusations.

[torrrep]

The problem I see on this blog is that too many liberals want rights yet they don't want the responsibilities of rights. You have the right to free speech. However, you can not use that right to cry "fire" in the middle of the theater. You also don't have the right to lie under oath. You have the right to freedom of the press. However, if you print something libelous, you can be legally held accountable.

[LCRover001]

Responsibility is making sure the bought and paid for politicians don't destroy what so many have given life and limb for.

Rolling over and going along with it is not being responsible.

Responsibility is just another catchphrase the right uses when they are trying to screw the people out of something.

Yet when it comes time to take responsibility they can't find enough people to lay the blame off on.

As Americans it is our right to vote. While no one is taking away that right they are putting requirements to be allowed to do so. We have to register to vote that is all that should be needed. Showing an ID is no more effective than not doing so when it comes to stopping persons from voting more than once. If it doesn"t go into a nation wide or even state wide recording system what good does it do? Those people who do so just have to show their ID more than once if it is not recorded on some kind of data base.

Voting machines are what should be the issue here not the voters. Everyone knows there is no way to check that how voters voted is how the machine recorded the vote. Yet no one is raising a stink about that. Why? Because the manufactures say so, it works but there is no way to double check it. Would anyone believe that if it were for anything else?

You want to talk at me about responsibility.

[Angelus2007]

While I agree that the problems with people not being able to vote is a problem. But I do not think that showing a photo ID is one of them. You can't write a check without photo ID, you can't board a plane without one. But you can vote without one? That doesn't make sense to me, and never has. One of my employees voted twice this year, he is registered here in Pennsylvania where he goes to Carnegie Melon and has a PA drivers license. He is from West Virginia, Charles Town I beleive and will be voting there after he goes home this weekend since classes have ended. He registered 3 years ago in West Virginia when he lived with his family. He could vote in both in November if he didn't mind the drive. That is wrong.

I understand many people cannot afford ID, as long as the states are required to give non-driving state IDs for free there should be no disenfranchisement of voters.

Maybe it is difficult for the average person like me who has always had a drivers license since I was 16 to understand why some people who are in this country legally can't or won't get a state ID. And they wouldn't cost the state too much if they were free since the overwhelming majority of the population has drivers licenses even in cities.

[RG986xx]

It may well be time for mail-in ballots. Oregon took awhile to perfect their system, but it seems to work. If you validate citizenship when one registers to vote, the voter id problem would not be an issue. Your ballot is sent to you in a timely manner and you mail it in. If you don't get it mailed in time, they have supervised drop off boxes. I've voted absentee for years and it's so much easier than driving to a polling locations, waiting in line and dealing with the machines.

[lvdragonlady]

How flippin hard is it to let people vote? Are there that many crook/dishonest people out there that they will not allow people their right to vote?
Damn george has turned this country into another Russia or China by rigging elections..........

WAKE UP AMERICA - Our rights are being taken away and we are sitting on our @$$es and letting it happen...........................
Contact your congress person and let them know that this has got to stop..........NOW

[torrrep]

How hard is it to go to the DMV and get a FREE government I.D.?

[JGD29]

I voted in Indiana and the ID system made no sense. At the door, a poll worker asked to see my ID. She checked my drivers license and confirmed that I was the person pictured on the license. I then got in line with other and when I got to the ballot table I was asked my name and signed the voter roll just like before. In other words, there was no attempt to match my ID with the name I voted under. In essence, all the poll worker did was to see if I had and ID at all. There was no correlation between the person on the ID and the person voting. It was a meaningless exercise. Instead of being called voter ID it should be called do you own an ID. In talking with others who voted in other precincts, they confirmed they had the same process.

[UnbiasView]

Well by the sounds of it it stopped some voters and I'm guess ing others that weren't legal to vote.

[JGD29]

To what purpose? Illegal aliens voting is not a problem - they can't register to vote in the first place. This system stopped no one except people who did not have IDs from fraudulent voting. I could have said I was anyone and voted in their name. I could have come in 10 times and voted as 10 different people.

[FirstShirt]

Look. Unless you were on Mars last week you knew what the SCOTUS opinion was on Indiana law. These nuns were just trying to get a little liberal press for political purposes. The Indiana Secretary of State opined that they should get a government issued ID if they want to vote in November. Sounds like good advice.

[kissmygrits]

You're kidding, right? Nuns read the National Law Journal now? I am an attorney at a firm, and I'll bet colleagues of mine haven't yet read that opinion. Get real.

[speakingtruth2power]

"Expected close election" in the general? This is Bushit!!

The only way it could be close is with massive voter fraud

& gross manipulation by our corporatist MSM for the GOP.

[UnbiasView]

You are not starting the whining already are you?

The map as it currently sits looks a lot like it did in 2004 so I would expect it to be close.

[Angelus2007]

I agree, people need to stop whining. I almost alway vote democratic, there are exceptions. But sometimes I am embarrassed to say I am a democrat. There are too many cry-babys and ignorant people (like some Obama supporter saying that Clinton supporters are a bunch of undeducated morons) that is an ignorant statement. I guess it is better than saying I am a republican. I may just start saying I am independent.

[Researchguy66]

These types of laws are extremely unfair. Sometimes people need to vote for five or six of their neighbors, especially when they're dead. Will somebody please explain to me how dead people are supposed to get to the polls even if they could get valid state ID's.

By disenfranchising dead voters, the states are taking away the rights of Democrats to be elected. Where's congress?

[RoloTomassi]

Dems have to support the rights of the dead to vote in order to offset your party's efforts to prevent the live voters from casting a ballot....

[Angelus2007]

Only in Chicago and if you last name is Daley!

[RoloTomassi]

The idiotic, knee-jerk comments seen here by republicans is a bit jarring, until you understand that most of them are happy idiots who rationalize-away anything a person with an actual conscience would take exception to:

Jeanna Bryner
Senior Writer
LiveScience.com

"Individuals with conservative ideologies are happier than liberal-leaners, and new research pinpoints the reason: Conservatives rationalize social and economic inequalities.

"Regardless of marital status, income or church attendance, right-wing individuals reported greater life satisfaction and well-being than left-wingers, the new study found. Conservatives also scored highest on measures of rationalization, which gauge a person's tendency to justify, or explain away, inequalities."

So, with a fair use nod to Jeff Foxworthy, I think following list could be useful in determining your party affiliation, if you're not sure:

You might be a Republican if:

You lack the ability to feel EMPATHY for others

You will justify anything your party is responsible for, including WAR CRIMES

You don't care what happens to other people, as long as YOU GET YOURS

You support capital punishment because you DON'T CARE IF INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE EXECUTED

You think patriotism is defined by who wears a flag lapel pin

Your golden rule is "BUY LOW, SELL HIGH."

[hippieforlife]

You must not know too many Republicans. Your list is just emotional reaction. No one party is all good or all bad. Both parties are made up of human beings. Hardly perfect. We are each allowed to hold our own views and we are allowed to disagree.

I find it especially interesting that you are a Democrat and your cry over capital punishment is that "we" DON'T CARE IF INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE EXECUTED. So, can you explain the parties backing of abortion, no matter at what point? Every single one of those babies is unquestionably INNOCENT!
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

Nothing in this world is all black and all white. Many shades of gray exist in our country, which is to our credit. What if it turns out that you are not happy with your candidate after they have been elected? Whose fault will that be? Broad generalizations do nothing but discredit you. Unless, of course, you have met every single person who votes Republican.

[RoloTomassi]

"You must not know too many Republicans."

No, actually, it's just the opposite; I've worked with far too many, always being the minority in any political argument [and I'm sure that has colored my view significantly].

I initially meant that to be "somewhat" tongue-in-cheek," but realize that--as you rightly point out, it certainly doesn't cover ALL republicans--it does certainly apply to the majority of them [at least the ones I've sparred with over the years], and when looked at as a whole, there really isn't anything funny about it.

[USAFree1]

hippieforlife, fetuses are not babies. You need to read Roe vs. Wade.

[LCRover001]

Pro-life and Pro-death penalty how can that be????

Right wing Pro-lifers are anti-choice, they want to do away with abortion and birth control, condoms, and any other form of prevention to pregnancy besides abstinence.

Many of my right-wing friends rail against abortion and say why not give it up for adoption, then I hear them bemoaning how the movie Juno glorifies getting pregnant.

Republicans can be summed up in one simple word HYPOCRITE, but sometimes I think SHEEP would be better.

The old saying holds true ignorance is bliss. If you stick you head in the sand and ignore it, it will go away, if you explain it away and lay the blame on others then it"s all good. As long as it doesn"t affect me it"s just fine by me. If it doesn"t fit with how we think it should be, then it"s not true and wrong. Nevermind the facts if our party leaders and talking heads say it isn"t so, then it isn"t.

It is typical right-wing play to blame the voter for fraud but to not look at voting machines which have no paper or any other form of accountability. It isn"t the machines it is the voters that are defrauding the process, yea right. The machine manufactures can do no wrong especially when they contribute to the Republican Party. Maybe if they donated to the Left more than the Right they might be held to a higher standard of accountable.

[ajax2]

As a strict constructionist, I don't understand how non-whites, women, and the landless, are voting legally? Justice Scalia.

[Marrigan]

I'm older than dirt, so I know that Dems have a long way to go to erase their voting sins of the past. Bringing up anecdotal 'evidence' of 'disenfranchised voters' is a bogus argument, and ALWAYS counter-balanced by evidence of outright fraud. IOW, a total waste of time and not what Americans want or deserve.
Voting is not just a right, it's a responsibility. Face it, some folks are either too lazy or too dumb to shag their butts to get the right kind of ID to vote. Excuse me, but I'm not interested in advocating for them, nor do I have much faith in the idea that these are the kind of people who are making informed decisions. Progressives need to stop buying into the excuses of the unmotivated. Right now, Americans want to be assured that elections aren't being rigged by illegals and the vote-early-vote-often jerks. It's not too much to ask and progressives need to stop having these contrarian knee-jerk responses to reasonable policies.

[iBgood]

That's funny coming from a rethug whose hero could only get into office via the supreme court and their playing politics. You rethugs are all a bunch of propagandists and hypocrites. I suppose it doesn't bother you at all that limpballs is instructing people to go out and vote for clinton just to keep the race going longer. "Voting is not just a right, it's a responsibility'.

There is absolutely NO EVIDENCE of fraud on the side of the voters at the polls!

[Marrigan]

Educate yourself. If you know how to.

[RoloTomassi]

"Right now, Americans want to be assured that elections aren't being rigged by illegals and the vote-early-vote-often jerks."

Well, I'm 48 myself, but apparently you've lost a lot more brain cells over the years, if you expect anyone to buy that load of crap. Your Republican identity is revealed in your statements, so it's no wonder you'd be spouting disingenuous blather when you know full well that the party you're associated with has been and is currently using every marginalizing tactic imaginable to suppress minority voters.

Go ahead and vote for McPain and save us the experience of listening to such nonsense.

[speakingtruth2power]

What about the very rich who vote absentee from their various residences?

I know it's a relatively small percentage but it does go on and frequently in

states like Wyoming, Florida, New York, California, etc. It's still voter fraud!

[Marrigan]

You're an idiot. The first vote I ever cast was for McGovern and I'm supporting Barack Obama. And my brain cells aren't frosted over with blind sheeple partianship. If there was any evidence of voter suppression, it should have been included in the SC case; but there isn't, so the Supremes acted properly by not changing a legitimate, reasonable law based on hysterical fear-mongering.
BTW, your's is the perfect post that reminds me of Golda's famous words...."There will never be peace until the Palestinians love their children more than they hate Jews." I happen to believe that Barack is the real deal...that he GETS IT about bitter partianship, whether that's between the races or political parties or gender or religion or class. People like you can continue to be a pawn in the power-brokers' games, relying on crass stereotypes, tribal warfare and bitter rhetoric. Democrats aren't perfect and Republicans aren't evil. Some things just come down to common sense and facing the truth instead of worrying that some pol won't get elected because we lack the courage to clean out our own house just doesn't make sense. But if people like you want to be party sheeple, knock yourself out.

[USAFree1]

Read your Constitution. Then be sure to read Amendments 15, 19, and 24. These voter IDs are a backdoor vote tax being used to disenfranchise people.

[Lemastre]

It seems to me that U.S. elections traditionally experience all sorts of foul-ups and inconsistencies. Partly because polling places are run by amateurs and occasionally because of intentional misconduct. Since the recent close presidential votes have brought this to our attention, maybe a more standardized system can be instituted.

No doubt the ID questions should be settled before election day, not at the polls. If the state where you vote requires a photo ID, or a note from your mother, or whatever, go get the danged thing before you go to vote. Don't go the the polls and cry discrimination when you're turned away. It doesn't hurt to also carry your passport, driver's license, social security card, utility bill, and your voter-registration card to the polls.

[Torus34]

In response to the 'Where's Congress?' part of the title: am I the only one who has noticed the similarity of our congress to the Iraqi government in terms of the ability and willingness to function?

[Deaninphilly]

Sorry, but a college student in tears? She doesn't have an real photo ID yet? Last I checked you do need a state ID to enter any college, hmmmmmmm.

I really don't see what the big deal is here with the photo ID either,unless of course you are up to something. I've had a state issued ID since I was 15 and a voters registration card since 18. What's the problem? You need a state issued ID to get a job in this country, a state issued ID to use a credit card, open a bank account and so forth. Amazing how they manage to fill out the paperwork for those things yet when it's time to vote these people all of the sudden have no ID to show. PLEASE!

This democrat doesn't buy into the far left liberal BS on the photo law. Show your ID or leave, period!

[dadw5boys]

In the past 300 years there has been less than 1% voter fraud of any kind!!

So the only reason to I D people is to suppress the vote!

[Deaninphilly]

Ok, then don't get a drivers license go get a state ID card then. Either way get some kind of ID. Two to three weeks is plenty of time to go get an ID, considering you get a state ID IMMEDIATELY! I know I know, how to get there, always an excuse, because that is exactly what it is, an excuse.

Like I said it's amazing how they have ID for other things in life that require a state issued ID, but all of the sudden at the polls they have no ID.

Save your suppress and disenfranchise crapola for the rest of the dimwitted please.

[greencap]

Now THERE is a head in the sand arrogant comment. So what if you have had a driver's license since you were 15. Lots don't. I think the Indiana rule was specifically set up to do this..eliminate those who would vote against the GOP. I also think it is unconstitutional made constitutional by the "activist" conservative bush supreme court justices. And did anyone really expect Indiana to have a fair vote after this picture mandate was made law just two/three weeks ago? Not a chance. NOT ONE DAMN CHANCE. If fraud had been a major item one could rethink this...but there hasn't been any. Stinks. ...But this certainly is not a surprise.

[LCRover001]

Welcome to the new Jim Crow Laws.

These guys are worried about voter ID, but there is no way to check voting machines, no paper trail only the machine's data file, which an 11 year old could hack. So please spare me the concern I have heard very little out of the mouths of the right about this even after it was proven the machines have been tampered with, i.e. cities with 10 times more votes than people, but hey the Id law will fix that. Mean while machine manufactures are free to donate to political parties and not required to provide any form of checks for their machines, via paper tickets or separated accountability. Yea the Supremes are real concerned about keeping the process free from fraud.

This is a blatant swipe at minorities, elderly people, and the poor, we don't want your vote and we don't want you voting for anyone else either. So you can take that 20 bucks and get an ID and do with out food, medicine, and what ever else you might need that for so the Nazis can check your papers at the voting booth. God forbid it be out of date. This is a complete fraud when you go to vote you have to give your name and address so the people in the voting places know you are in the right district to vote no name in the system then no vote because that person is not a registered voter.

[lisakaz2]

State ID to enter college? I've not seen that. Can't remember being asked for it, either. I wonder if a State U student ID would be a "State ID." Kinda makes ya wanna get a passport methinks (mine expires this month).

[FirstShirt]

How do these college kids write checks? Give me a break.