In Germany, everybody always has a photo ID, required by law. I'm the us you don't have that. If you don't have a driver's licence or a passport, because you're poor, you don't have that's document. Requiring one just for voting is really inconvenient. That alone would be considered undemocratic in most proper countries, but then you have closing of offices where you can get these documents in black neighborhood, limiting hours, just everything you can do to keep certain people from voting, and because of a non issue.
And key republican strategists are on tape saying that this is the intent. It will not get clearer that this is a full on assault on the democratic principle
I actually really like the idea of requiring everyone to have a photo ID by law. At least once you’ve turned 18. It doesn’t really make sense for me to not have one, I need it to do so many things, even go to the movies. That being said, if required by law, they’d have to somehow make it free to receive, because again, as it currently stands it can be very costly and time consuming to get a passport or drivers license. I moved to dc a couple years ago and had to pay over $400 for my drivers license and dc plates, and that tools 3 Trips to the dmv.
I actually really like the idea of requiring everyone to have a photo ID by law. At least once you’ve turned 18
There would be some significant pushback on that from both sides, and not all of it would be completely unreasonable. I mean, the right would complain about the cost to tax payers, and then they'd try to make complying with the law as difficult as possible so that they could still disenfranchise minorities. But there would be push back from the left and even some on the right about privacy and civil liberties that I wouldn't personally agree with, but in this age of ever eroding privacy I also can't say I don't understand the concern.
That said, I agree that it's an idea worth fighting for, at least if it's also tied to automatic voter registration. It'd take many years to phase in, of course, during which time it should not be used as a way to deprive people of their right to vote, but once we could reasonably say that all or nearly all Americans had the new, free, universal citizenship ID, then there would be no reason not to let anyone with that ID vote with no other fuss at all. It completely shuts down Republicans fake concerns about millions of illegal votes AND it stops counties from disenfranchising people by purging voter rolls (not to mention protects us from foreign entities trying to tamper with our voter rolls like Russia has clearly attempted to do already).
Honestly, I don't see why we can't compromise with Republicans on this. Give them voter ID laws but take some of the military budget and use it to give everyone IDs. We have the cash and faith in the voting process is absolutely fundamental to maintaining a functioning democracy.
This seems like a simple solution to block the republican "DEM VOTERS ARE FAKE AND ILLEGAL" propaganda and avoid the use of voter ID laws to suppress minorities.
Totally. And in light of stuff like the Equifax hack, maybe we can also take the opportunity to replace social security numbers with a proper national ID system. This reform is needed anyways.
For lefties: we can hook every American up with a modern ID free of charge, and remove barriers to minorities and poor. It’ll improve everybody’s financial security against identity theft and make it so people don’t have to pay corporations to control their identity.
For righties: modern ID system, now required for voting. Guarantee that illegal immigrants aren’t voting, and that people aren’t voting multiple times or in other people’s names.
Honestly, I don't see why we can't compromise with Republicans on this.
Uhh, because they dont WANT to compromise. If they spend money to give everyone an ID, then it undoes their reasoning for having the law in the first place. It isnt about preventing voter fraud. It's about preventing voters.
And anyways, if everyone had IDs, they'd come up with a new type of BS requirement like "having to show your bank records and have at least 5 figures in the bank" in order to vote. That's what they are really after anyways.
If they spend money to give everyone an ID, then it undoes their reasoning for having the law in the first place.
This is my exact point. If they don’t support this then it destroys that argument, if they do support this it breaks the propaganda being fed to the republican base. No one wants a compromise, that’s what makes it a compromise.
The problem is you assume you are negotiating with a rational opponent. Or negotiating at all. You're not. They dont care if you destroy their argument. They'll just kick the chess pieces over, shit all over the board, and strut around like they won anyways. They can't be shamed when they have no integrity. They won't support it, and they wont care.
There's a good argument that our high age restriction is what feeds into that alcohol abuse. When something is treated as no big deal, kids arent as apt to want it. There is a higher respect over there, but plenty of adult abuse. Always has been with alcohol, always will be. Everywhere.
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u/axehomeless Dec 13 '17
In Germany, everybody always has a photo ID, required by law. I'm the us you don't have that. If you don't have a driver's licence or a passport, because you're poor, you don't have that's document. Requiring one just for voting is really inconvenient. That alone would be considered undemocratic in most proper countries, but then you have closing of offices where you can get these documents in black neighborhood, limiting hours, just everything you can do to keep certain people from voting, and because of a non issue.
And key republican strategists are on tape saying that this is the intent. It will not get clearer that this is a full on assault on the democratic principle