At 76, years old, Bettye Jones never imagined she could be denied her right to vote. Active in the Civil Rights movement, she held meetings in her home in support of voting rights. But now, because of Wisconsin's voter ID law, Jones is uncertain as to whether she will ever be able to cast a ballot again.
Jones was born at home in Tennessee during a time when African Americans in the South were denied hospital care. No birth certificate was filed and no evidence exists that she was born. Until now, it never presented a problem. Jones has a current Ohio driver's license and has dutifully voted since 1959. But when she moved to Wisconsin last year, she found she could not get the ID required by the state's new voting law because she could not prove she had ever been born.
Today we remember that March 7th "Bloody Sunday" morning in 1965 when ordinary people just like Jones assembled in Selma, Alabama, to march to the state capitol to demand their right to participate in democracy. We recall images of those tasked with protecting the public beating nonviolent protesters and attacking them with tear gas. But we also rejoice in the sacrifices made that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act and we take comfort in knowing that each of our voices will be heard on Election Day.
Jones no longer enjoys this comfort but is hopeful she once again may, and that the Voting Rights Act will once again confirm her right to choose those who represent her in government. She is a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit Advancement Project recently filed against the state of Wisconsin under the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices and procedures that produce discriminatory results and afford voters of color "less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process."
Signed into law on August 6th, the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed discriminatory voting practices, such as literacy tests and poll taxes, which had been used to systematically disenfranchise Black Americans for close to a century. Passage of the law marked a watershed moment in American history. It was the culmination of years of struggle by African Americans for the right to vote -- a right they were originally guaranteed by the 14th and 15th Amendments but had suffered decades of blood and tears trying to secure. For the first time since Reconstruction, the federal government assured every American, regardless of race, equal access to the ballot box.
As we settle into the 21st century, the relevance of the Voting Rights Act has been called into question. Opponents challenge its necessity given the significant political advances people of color have made since the Civil Rights era. While electing our first Black President does illustrate considerable progress, statistics show he was not the choice of most southern Whites. In Louisiana, for example, the President's support among White voters was ten percentage points lower than that of John Kerry in 2004. The Voting Rights Act is essential to safeguarding inclusive democracy, and the progress we have experienced would not have been possible if not for its enactment.
Last year, laws like Wisconsin's were introduced in states across the nation. They were signed into law in eight and have been reintroduced in 25 so far this year. Based on a template created and proliferated across state lines by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative engine funded by the right wing billionaire Koch Brothers and corporate board members, voter ID legislation tilts the hand of government in favor of corporate interests by keeping the demographics that tend to vote against those interests from casting a ballot in November -- African Americans, Latinos, seniors, young voters and people with disabilities.
For example, Wisconsin's new voter ID restriction has a discriminatory impact that moves us backward to a pre-1965 era. In that state, half of all African-American and Latino voters may be blocked from the voting booth because they do not have state-issued identification. An astounding 78 percent of Black men and 66 percent of Black women, ages 18 to 24, in Wisconsin, lack a state ID. This targeted impact of the law flies in the face of all that we gained by the sacrifices made when thousands marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
The Voting Rights Act is the most powerful weapon we have in ensuring that all Americans have the right to vote. Changes to voting legislation in Florida that limit early voting and place undue burdens on voter registration groups and in Texas, where over 600,000 already registered voters lack driver's licenses, are currently under review in federal court. And, the Justice Department recently denied approval of changes to South Carolina's law on the basis that it would unfairly impact minority voters. The state has filed a federal lawsuit to overturn the decision, a case which will likely reach the Supreme Court and leave a conservative bench to decide on the future of this vital piece of legislation.
Voter suppression laws threaten to roll back the clock on voting rights to a time the Voting Rights Act was intended to change. Whether fueled by bigotry and hatred or partisan gain and corporate interests, this push to dilute the vote of people of color is just an old game in a new box. Those billy club wielding police officers might have been replaced with corporate billionaires in suits and ties, but the threat is just as real and as dangerous as it ever was. Just ask Bettye Jones.
Follow Judith Browne Dianis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@jbrownedianis
Her Ohio drivers licence and a Wisconsin utility bill is all she needs to get a drivers licence. She doesnt have to "prove' she was born.
An astounding 78 percent of Black men and 66 percent of Black women, ages 18 to 24, in Wisconsin, lack a state ID.
And I ask why is that GROWN people dont have a licence? Are you saying that since 1986 black people in Wisconsin have had no birth certificates? Because I am sure they do. The better question as I said is WHY dont THEYY have ID's?
When applying for an original (first), renewal, reissue, reinstatement or a duplicate driver license or identification card, you must provide proof of your identity. The document must identify you by name and bear your signature or a readily recognizable photograph of you.
Documents presented as proof must be original (photocopies are not acceptable).
The following are acceptable documents for proof of identity:
A valid (or expired less than eight years) WI or***** out-of-state driver license ****** (not a Canadian driver license) with your photograph. Note: Temporary out-of-state driving receipts are acceptable.
Military discharge papers, including Federal DD-214.
U.S. Government and Military Dependent ID Card.
A valid WI or out-of-state ID card (not a Canadian ID card) with your photograph.
Certified copy of a Marriage Certificate or Judgment of Divorce.
Social Security Card issued by the Social Security Administration.
This story is false,and another in a everyday fear mongering on this subject.Bettye Jones should have applied for a Wisconsin drivers license within 60 days,she would have received a Wisconsin license without taking any test.The Wisconsin license is all she needs fro voter ID,enough with the lies.
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/doc/proof-identity.htm
If someone is born now, without a birth certificate, can they be denied American citizenship? If so, can they be deported?
If so, where? Back to the womb?
What does that have to do with the price of eggs in Detroit?
Also, the intrinsic value and importance of voting really does not need to be stated. So few people of all races vote theses days that it really has to be important to the individual to take the steps so they can vote. If getting an id card is the main obstacle for some for voting, then my first thought is they do not want to vote.
Fanned and faved you.
:-)
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/doc/proof-identity.htm
Acceptable documents for proof of identity
When applying for an original (first), renewal, reissue, reinstatement or a duplicate driver license or identification card, you must provide proof of your identity. The document must identify you by name and bear your signature or a readily recognizable photograph of you.
Documents presented as proof must be original (photocopies are not acceptable).
The following are acceptable documents for proof of identity:
A valid (or expired less than eight years) WI or out-of-state driver license (not a Canadian driver license) with your photograph. Note: Temporary out-of-state driving receipts are acceptable.
Military discharge papers, including Federal DD-214.
U.S. Government and Military Dependent ID Card.
A valid WI or out-of-state ID card (not a Canadian ID card) with your photograph.
Certified copy of a Marriage Certificate or Judgment of Divorce.
Social Security Card issued by the Social Security Administration.
If you are under 18, your parent or legal guardian can show a valid Wisconsin driver license or ID card and confirm your identity.
TSA Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC card).
A valid photo college ID card from any U.S. university, college or technical college. (must contain student’s name and photograph).
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/doc/proof-dob.htm
as well as proof of citizenship:
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/doc/proof-legal.htm
Which should would be unable to do with only a driver's license.
Looking it over, her best chance would probably be to apply for a U.S. passport. Without a birth certificate, she could still prove birth by providing "early records": School records, baptismal records, certain court papers. Of course she's had 76 years to resolve this situation. Luckily, she has plenty of time before November to make the necessary arrangements.
And if I believe these numbers then none of them own or drive a car. Right!!!!
As for the fee, I would make that a required school fee the parents (or student) pays, unless they are indigent.
She got a state id at the dmv when she return home and then a year later the government start issue id for some programs. But it is true for some people who were not born in the hospital and their births may not have been recorded, they not have had a picture id, but just regular id. If you leave in some states county for a long time people know you , most jobs usually required ss , then a picture id,sometimes birth certificate or school records. I know when I go vote I usually give my name, they look it up, verify my address, show my drivers license or voters license, sign get a receipt, this is new. It used to be give my name, they look it , verify my address ,sign, and given a slip a papr to give the person before pulling thelever.
A state ID is not hard to get. What gives?