An about-face by an opponent of voter ID laws
There is a constant refrain from the opponents of voter ID laws: that it is an attempt by white Republicans to suppress the votes of black Democrats. I’ve never understood why these opponents are allowed to get away with making what strikes me as a bigoted statement on its face: that African Americans are somehow less capable or motivated when it comes to obtaining a state-issued photo ID. But they do get away with it.
That’s why I thought it noteworthy that someone who admits to making such an argument in the past has turned the argument on its head and explained why election fraud is the real suppression measure — and testified that such fraud does happen.
Here’s Artur Davis, a former Democratic congressman from Alabama, writing in the Montgomery Advertiser:
The truth is that the most aggressive contemporary voter suppression in the African American community, at least in Alabama, is the wholesale manufacture of ballots, at the polls and absentee, in parts of the Black Belt.
Voting the names of the dead, and the nonexistent, and the too-mentally-impaired to function, cancels out the votes of citizens who are exercising their rights — that’s suppression by any light. If you doubt it exists, I don’t; I’ve heard the peddlers of these ballots brag about it, I’ve been asked to provide the funds for it, and I am confident it has changed at least a few close local election results.
The fact is that lawsuits opposing voter ID lawsuits have, in Georgia’s case and every other case with which I’m familiar, never managed to identify even a single person who’s been unable to cast a ballot because of ID laws. Yet, the issue doesn’t seem to go away. Even though Georgia’s law has been upheld by the state Supreme Court and the federal courts as constitutional, the law is still dragged out periodically by partisans of grievance politics as evidence of bad faith by Georgia’s ruling Republicans.
Opponents also like to claim that voter fraud is either non-existent — which is plainly false, given that there have been successful prosecutions for the offense — or so rare a problem that it’s not worth the potential suppression of a future voter. But, as Davis points out, it’s a serious problem if it changes the will of rightful voters in even one election.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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127 comments Add your comment
JDW
October 24th, 2011
1:08 pm
@Tiberius…”Again, just try it if you can get access. But you can’t.”
Ever heard of Stuxnet?
Voter Fraud Makes a Popular Scapegoat
October 24th, 2011
1:08 pm
Allegations of widespread voter fraud is greatly exaggerated. It is simply smoke without fire.
Voter Fraud Makes a Popular Scapegoat
October 24th, 2011
1:12 pm
It is more likely that an individual will be struck by lightning than that he will impersonate another voter at the polls.
scott
October 24th, 2011
1:13 pm
There is nothing inherently wrong about requesting ID to vote so long as the effect is not to disenfranchise eligible voters. The obvious easy fix here is to offer a way to get an official ID that can be used at the polls at no cost to the poor and elderly. Tie it in to the voter registration system.
Reality Check
October 24th, 2011
1:15 pm
If voting made a difference, it would be illegal. Aside from Ron Paul, the difference between any candidate from either of the two major parties is slim to none when it comes to the issues of freedom and liberty. Both are against them in one way or another.
Republican Logic
October 24th, 2011
1:25 pm
@Obozonomics “That’s OK, 14 million unemployed is a success the dimacrats, right? So where are the jobs you keep talking about?”
Republican Logic says that when caught telling absolute untruths (AKA LIES) regarding the net loss of 450,000 jobs in September, when the actual labor department numbers show a net gain of 100,000+ jobs, point out that there are still lots of other people unemployed.
Hope no one notices that when you compare now to the end of the last Republican Administration you find that on a monthly basis jobs production has improved from minus 700,000 to adding over 100,000 per month for a net improvement of 800,000+ jobs per month.
Remember its our world and we make the rules.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
October 24th, 2011
1:26 pm
“Ever heard of Stuxnet?”
Ever heard of Breaking & Entering? ‘Cause that’s what you’ll have to do to get at these machines.
Voter Fraud Makes a Popular Scapegoat
October 24th, 2011
1:27 pm
Here’s Artur Davis, a former Democratic congressman from Alabama, writing in the Montgomery Advertiser: The truth is that the most aggressive contemporary voter suppression in the African American community, at least in Alabama, is the wholesale manufacture of ballots, at the polls and absentee, in parts of the Black Belt.
WHY should we believe a former congressmen (Dem or Rep) from Alabama? Alabama of all places? Jim Crow is alive and well in Alabama.
mum
October 24th, 2011
1:35 pm
Did this former congressman report the fraud he saw when he saw it? If he didn’t then he’s just as guilty or he gained some benefit at the time.
Grfeat Discussion
October 24th, 2011
1:39 pm
I can’t believe that we are even discussing this. How can you even consider letting people, who may not even have the right to vote, shape policy and the future for everyone else? This proves that we as a nation have totally jumped the shark. I am at a loss.
#occupy my desk...
October 24th, 2011
1:43 pm
Great Discussion – I am in your boat…unfortunately I would venture to bet that significantly more republican voters could produce a photo ID than democrat voters. Which is why you are seeing fierce defense of what could threaten this pool of democrat servants.
GT
October 24th, 2011
1:44 pm
I am with Voter Fraud. We are sounding a bite like the communist block use to sound. “They are liars, we didn’t do it”, when a preponderances of evidence points to the contrary. Alabama constantly wants us to forget who they are and go on their witness that a crime is being committed on this. Arrest somebody, if you are so damn sure it is happening, unless it is more convenient for you to just point it out and let the imagination go wild. Real things in this country seem to get corrected and conspiracies seem to stay conspiracies.
JDW
October 24th, 2011
1:47 pm
@Tiberius…”Ever heard of Breaking & Entering?”
Whew I feel much better now! We know that could never happen in politics.
mum
October 24th, 2011
1:57 pm
This entire procedure has neen in discussion for year so those complaining should have started the ball rolling, especially since last Novembr’s electioning, just in case the laws were changed. My only problem is with the “by-the-book” attitude when it comes to an elderly person who can’t find her marriage license. Good grief, my mother has 12 copies of her birth certificate, but I’ve only ever seen her marriage one in my entire life.
GOP R THE NEW NEO-NAZI'S-SKINHEAD'S WITH HAIR
October 24th, 2011
2:04 pm
WE NOT GONE LET UP IN DA SOUTH,SAYS THE GUD OLE BOY CRUE
GOP R THE NEW NEO-NAZI'S-SKINHEAD'S WITH HAIR
October 24th, 2011
2:06 pm
WHY DOES THE GOP SUPPORT THE SATANIC POLICE-STATE? BECAUSE THEY ARE SATANIC!
GOP R THE NEW NEO-NAZI'S-SKINHEAD'S WITH HAIR
October 24th, 2011
2:10 pm
THE HICKS HERE IN GEORGIA DIDNT LIKE HERMAN CAIN WHEN HE RAN AGAINST SUXBY SHAMELESS,BUT NOW THE REDNECKS LOVE HIM!
Obozonomics
October 24th, 2011
2:13 pm
GOP R THE NEW NEO-NAZI’S-SKINHEAD’S WITH HAIR;
Last I checked you are free to leave anytime.
Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil
October 24th, 2011
2:49 pm
GOP R THE NEW NEO-NAZI’S-SKINHEAD’S WITH HAIR October 24th, 2011 2:10 pm
I totally agree YOU!
Hillbilly D
October 24th, 2011
4:22 pm
I’ve never understood the big fuss about this. Up here in the Hills, I’ve been asked to show my Driver’s License, when I vote, for at least 20 years. The next question is usually, “So how are your folks doing, haven’t seen them in a while? My brother went to school with your daddy, you know” or something similar. They know me, they know who I am, they even know, when they see my first name, who the 3 people that name comes from were (in some cases they even knew all 3 personally). They ask me to show ID anyhow, because everybody is treated the same.
I would agree, in the interest of consistency, the absentee ballot process needs to be tightened up a bit. Perhaps people would apply for the ballot in person, given say a month or two window, to do that in.
No system is perfect and no system is fool proof.
The most common instances of voter fraud that I heard of in the past, were people who couldn’t read or write, being accompanied to the polls and assisted by someone who could. That usually involved the person who couldn’t read and write being paid $5 or $10 and the assistant was to insure they actually voted for who they were paid to vote for. Been about 30-40 years since of heard of that happening, though.
Probably the two most celebrated cases of voter fraud that I ever knew about were LBJ and Herman Talmadge.
Gm
October 24th, 2011
5:20 pm
Let see, kyle name me one person thats been convicted on voters fraud? everyone can see the rules changed when Obama won the election, conservatives were out class and out worked by Obama campaign.
People like you dont want to see the truth, minorities were standing behind Obama and the conservatives bigots of rep party are trying to change the rules now, Kyle you will feel better if you just say what you really are.
Old Timer
October 24th, 2011
7:21 pm
Require absentee voters to show ID in the same way that people do at the polls. Then I’ll believe your argument that voter ID is not racial or classist.
The facts: the typical absentee voter is white and middle-class. You’ll be waiting a long time before you’ll see a law requiring an absentee ballot requester to produce ID. Prove me wrong.
hryder
October 24th, 2011
7:33 pm
The only people who should legally be permitted to vote are those that have actually paid taxes to local, state, and federal entities. Those receiving government funds due to conditions(entitlements) would only vote when such funds were deducted from net taxes paid and result indicated that there remained a plus in taxes paid. Logically, there is no way that people should be able to vote for new entitlements or add to current entitlement benefits when they will directly benefit. This is the equivalent of hiring the fox to guard the hen house. Additionally, a voting period of six weeks with acceptable ID, appearing in person, would handle most all problems with absentee ballots and new technology could handle the remainder of possible problems.
Shabootyquiqui
October 24th, 2011
7:46 pm
Vote fraud and voter ID are distractions from a potentially bigger problem, Georgia’s electronic voting machines.
There is no receipt or paper trail of the ballot you cast. You just trust that the computer was programmed to correctly/honestly count the votes, and hope that the system has not been hacked.
JDW
October 24th, 2011
9:03 pm
@hryder…”The only people who should legally be permitted to vote are those that have actually paid taxes to local, state, and federal entities.”
That concept is known as a poll tax and we got by that in 1965.
Hillbilly D
October 24th, 2011
9:37 pm
This is why the poll tax is no more. It’s unconstitutional. It also covers all other Federal taxes.
Amendment XXIV, Ratified January 23, 1964
Section 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.
Section 2.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Obama Ally Speaks Out For Tougher Voter ID Laws « Voter Id « Voter Identification « Verify The Vote AZ
October 28th, 2011
10:28 pm
[...] at National Journal/HotlineOnCall and a commentary piece at the Atlanta Journal Constitution that opines: There is a constant refrain from the opponents [...]