Summary:
Donald Trump has signed a far-reaching executive order that promises to fundamentally disrupt American voter registration processes, introducing measures so restrictive they could in effect disenfranchise millions of citizens if enacted.
Described by Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, on Tuesday as “the farthest reaching executive action taken” in the nation’s history, the order represents the latest in a long list of assaults against immigration, but also on current voting systems.
The sweeping order amends the federal voter registration form to require proof of citizenship in order to vote. It demands documentary proof for citizenship such as a passport to be eligible to vote in federal elections, empowers federal agencies to cut funding to states deemed non-compliant and instructs the Department of Justice to prosecute what the White House paints as “election crimes”. All the executive orders Trump has signed so far Read more
The measure also seeks to block states from accepting mail-in ballots after election day, regardless of when they are mailed in.
Many of the provisions in the order are likely to be quickly challenged and are legally suspect. The US constitution explicitly gives states and Congress the authority to set the rules for election and does not authorize the president to do so.
“The short answer is that this executive order, like all too many that we’ve seen before, is lawless and asserts all sorts of executive authority that he most assuredly does not have,” said Danielle Lang, a voting rights lawyer at the non-profit Campaign Legal Center.
Republicans have long sought to add a citizenship to the federal form and been stymied by the courts. In a 7-2 decision in 2013, for example, the US supreme court said that Arizona could not require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. The power to set the requirements on the federal form is left to the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission. Courts have also blocked efforts to short-circuit efforts to add the question.
The order tracks with a controversial bill in Congress Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (Save) Act, which would require Americans to prove citizenship in person – a requirement that could immediately eliminate mail-in and online voter registration already across 42 states, as well as DC and Guam.
Oh hey, look! I don't have a Real ID or a Passport. I already can't fly or enter federal buildings. Now I won't be able to vote? They're basically making it a requirement to have a Real ID or Passport to be considered a citizen at this point.
Millions of poor people are about to lose their U.S. citizenship is what this sounds like it's coming to.
Democrats are fighting on the wrong side of this issue and have been for some time IMO. I think requiring them is 100% fine, but they should be fucking free.
Yes and no. The issue is really with the difficulty and time it takes to get these ids. Not to mention the expense. The poorer a person is, the less likely they are to have the correct id. And make no mistake, the Republicans know this, and they know that poor people favor democrats. Same with mail in voters. So their effort to make this rule is not one of common sense, but stratrgic value. They are just trying to put up obstacles that making voting hardrr for people who don't vote from them.
And really, what should be addressed is the difficulty of getting id. But noone wants to pay for that. This causes some people to have to travel significant distances on our meager public transit system which can take many hours to go 15 miles. And again, the poorer a person is, the less likely they are to have a car to drive, or the money to uber, or the time away from work to get to these places and even attempt to get the id.
https://www.voteriders.org/analysis-millions-lack-voter-id/
That's my point. Fix that. Everyone gives up on that without even half a fight.
To casual observers, it looks like you're arguing for voter fraud. Then Republicans can cynically appeal to the stupidest people by making that argument directly.
But... why?
Voter fraud isn't an issue that needs solving. Yes, we could (should) make an ID easier to get, but not for this. Conservatives would just move the goalposts again and add more roadblocks for the voters they don't like.
If you give a fascist a cookie...
Doesn't matter what you do, Republicans will claim some BS and their voters will believe it. Let's just do things because it is the right thing to do.
So make IDs free? Cuz that is the right thing to do.
More than free, easily accessible. I would argue access is probably more important. And with better access to getting an id should be better access to government assistance for people who need it. But I know... I must be a dirty socialist or something. Cause empathy is our greatest weakness.
Because they control the media grandpa is watching all day and know he has the time to show up and vote.
Imo, being present in the jurisdiction, subject to the jurisdiction's laws, and only voting once and in and one jurisdiction per election, with some form of proof of residence issued by the jurisdiction, should be all that's required.
Step 0: Show your finger at the door to the polls.
Step 1: Bring a letter to yourself from state or town government, register to vote with your town, have a current driver's license, or something equivalent, and receive a ballot.
Optional Step 1: Swear an affidavit before the registrat of voters that you are who you say you are and live where you say you live, no ID required; hold the ballot provisionally for a period in case someone wishes to challenge it for cause. This is currently the law in my state. If local government cannot take a citizen at their unchallenged, sworn oath, then everything falls apart.
Step 2: Vote.
Step 3: Dip your pointer finger in temporary die, also known as election ink.
Optional Steps 0-3: Preregister to vote with proof of residence only to be able to receive an official, serialized ballot mailed to your residence. Register checks serial number to make sure you don't vote twice.
Done.
Just let people vote. Who cares about their citizenship if they reside in the jurisdiction and are subject to its laws, as long as they can't vote twice?
I'm also in favor of lowering the voting age to sixteen. Kids can be very smart. No reason they can't start shaping their future if they want.
Showing ID when you vote is an requirement in every European country since forever. There's no slippery slope here. Ability to identify yourself is a pretty basic thing in a civilized country. Where I live proof of residence allows you to vote in local elections. National elections require citizenship. National ID proves you're a citizen. It's really simple.
And there's the rub
Yeah, in all EU countries people get a national ID card when they're in their teens and then get automatically added to the voter registry when they're 18.
It's mandatory to have an ID card and it's provided for free.
For every election all I have to do is show up, show my ID card and cast my vote. It baffles me why it doesn't work like this in the US and why is it even controversial.
(At least as far as I know, this is how it works in all EU countries)
It doesn't work like this in the US in part because some consider it illegal under the first and fourth amendments for the federal government to mandate identification. This also ties back into the early history of identification documents in the us that sparked a lot of outrage.
At least in Germany, it's not free to get an ID or passport.
Oh, is it? Even the first time you get it and renewals? I think those should be free.
If you're 23 or younger, it's a bit cheaper, but not free. Source
Red states also resisted the RealID rollout. They kept having to delay the requirements for requiring them for flights, because states like Oklahoma were pissing and moaning the entire time.
The same kinds of places that don’t want the wrong kind of people to vote intentionally have made the process of getting that identification difficult. I have no idea why I was turned away for a RealID a few years ago, and now I’m not even going to try because having my marker reverted back to an ‘F’ would probably get me killed.
They do that cause Republicans win the less people are able to vote. When you disenfranchise people who don't have the time or care to deal with getting an ID you are left with either richer people or older people who both tend to vote Republican. So of course they're gonna require ID to vote and make it as hard as possible for working people to get a valid ID for voting.
Get yours now before the DMV ceases to exist. See the strategy now?