The Angry Blogger
Published on the date shown and kept as written. This is opinion about politics and public life, not clinical guidance.
Most conservative Republican-controlled state legislatures have passed laws that propose to stop voter fraud (a phenomenon that hasn't been proven to exist to any degree). They feel it will be accomplished, at least in part, by requiring specific picture IDs in order to vote. Incidentally, 11% of the voting population does not possess a picture identification card. In addition, some states are shortening the early voting period, an act which I cannot understand how lawmakers can rationalize that this will help stop voter fraud. Florida, for example, has toughened voter registration rules so much that many groups, such as the League of Women Voters, have ceased their voter registration drives for fear of legal reprisals. A public school teacher who helped students register to vote as an exercise in responsible citizenship was reportedly fined for doing so.
How obvious is it that these legislatures are putting up barriers to voting in order to influence the election in November? The citizens most affected by all the additional restrictions are minorities, college students, and people with lower incomes. What a coincidence that they happen to be the populations more likely to vote for Democratic candidates!
In Florida alone this year, there are 80,000 fewer voters registered than at the same time prior to the 2000 presidential election. That's a significant discrepancy. It will be remembered that the election twelve years ago was decided by a little over 500 votes (in Florida), so it stands to reason that the new barriers to voting will make a big, possible critical, difference.
Instead of encouraging people to vote, as we were all taught should be the goal in this free country of ours (and as we do when we purport to "help" other nations build a democracy), those responsible for these new restrictive laws and regulations are impeding the rights of thousands of citizens to vote in order to influence the 2012 general election. Just thinking about all the American and other lives lost in the fight for freedom and democracy in other parts of the world is enough to make anyone angry, when, ironically, we are stifling voters' rights and crushing our democratic ideals at home.