A press release trumpets Republican time travel to the past, where they want to make it harder for citizens to vote since being scared to death by huge turnout in 2008.
(Columbia, SC) – Today, by a vote of 74 to 45, the South Carolina House of Representatives again passed a bill (H. 3003) that will help prevent fraud and secure our state’s election process by incorporating the use of picture identification in voting. Modeled after Voter ID plans passed by other states and upheld as constitutional by our nation’s highest court, this bill employs technology used by people every day to secure our elections all while keeping voting simple, safe and easy for every citizen.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell, “The heart of democracy is the right to vote. If we do not protect that voting right from fraud and abuse, we are not protecting the ideals of democracy. This bill will protect the voting rights of every citizen by making sure that every vote is cast securely and that every vote is counted.”
In 2008, Indiana’s requirement to show picture identification when voting was challenged and the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Voter ID was in fact Constitutional and did not place an undue burden on the voter. Just this past summer, President Obama’s Justice Department approved the pre-clearance Georgia needed to begin using its newly passed Voter ID law.
“A picture ID is required to do just about anything in our society, except to vote,” Speaker Harrell said. “Unlike most things in our society, our system of securing elections has not kept up with changing technology.”
This bill mirrors a similar plan that passed the House last session but failed to become law before the year’s legislative session ended.
=========================================================
COLUMBIA — If you let your hair go gray or lost a lot of weight, if you’re a college student or a senior citizen, or if your job requires long shifts, Susan Breslin says you might have trouble voting in future elections, under a legislative proposal that is up for debate.
Breslin is a Folly Beach Democrat who is vehemently opposed to legislation state Republicans are pushing that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls, along with a host of other changes to South Carolina’s voting procedures.
Breslin says questions about residency and appearance will clog lines on Election Day and cause some to wind up at a hearing to defend their vote. She said the legislation also would cause trouble for those without photo ID, as well as create problems for people who pull 12-hour shifts or others who want to vote absentee, such as senior citizens or students.
There’s nothing more important than this in S.C. Not even high unemployment or the MILLIONS and MILLIONS cut from public education.
Related posts:
- In South Carolina, Republicans do not want you to have Medicaid
- Convince other teachers of ‘noble’ profession in South Carolina
- NLRB deems ‘Secret Ballot’ amendment unconstitutional in South Carolina
- We’re having a ‘Secession Ball’ in South Carolina!
- Obama Praises While Republicans Bash House Passage of Stimulus Bill
I am at odds here, becuase I am a firm believer that voting is a joke in states that do not require identification. A drivers license, a voters card for those who dont drive whatever, but you need to be an American to vote. That said no Americans should be prevented from voting.
We already require ID. http://www.scvotes.org/south_carolina_voting_information_page
Republicans think human beings cheat. Their gamed system can’t fail, so they say.
Here’s a story I just did that dives a little deeper.
http://thepoliticsofjamiesanderson.blogspot.com/2011/01/sc-dems-chair-says-state-gop-not-smart.html