Normal Version Print Version	Share |

Voter Restriction Laws: It's More Likely Than You Think

If you've got voting problems, I feel bad for you son. I've got ninety-nine problems but unjust voting restrictions ain't one. Oh, wait, apparently it is. My bad.

2012 is shaping up to be a real dog and pony show election wise, and the desperation to swing votes is already apparent if you just look at the Republican primary. Remember when Michele Bachmann not-so-subtly implied that Herman Cain was the anti-Christ? Yeah, that's pretty much the tits right there. On the other, slightly more paranoid end of the spectrum you have Ron Paul buying into Alex Jones conspiracy theories. And the list goes on.

But that nonsense is relatively harmless. What's much worse are attempts by Republican lawmakers to change voting laws in a blatant attempt to keep certain age and ethnic groups likely to vote for Obama away from the polls. The official, non-super villain reason given is to combat the lurking evil of voter fraud. That's all well and good, but you'd be pretty hard pressed to find solid evidence that voter fraud happens on a large scale, let alone on a regular basis. It's simply the boogeyman of choice to mask the theft of basic American rights.

William O'Brien, the speaker of the New Hampshire State House, attempted to pass several laws aimed at keeping college students from voting in 2012, claiming that they vote with their feelings rather than with facts, which leads them to vote liberal. Though his measures thankfully flopped, it shows the glaring hole in the logic behind this movement: people who vote liberal simply don't think hard enough to vote conservative. I understand that politics is like, ninety-percent rhetoric and what have you, but come the fuck on, buddy. You've got to be shitting me on this one.

Measures to block students such as those introduced and ultimately shot down in New Hampshire include the elimination of same day voter registration, which is utilized by several college campuses, and preventing anyone with an out of state ID from voting, which applies to anyone who attends school from out of state. More general efforts include the elimination of early day voting, utilized by folks who can't take time off from work to rock the vote.

If you're not the sort of person who keeps their civil liberties under constant surveillance, you might find it surprising that nearly half of the country has passed, has attempted to pass or is introducing new legislation to greatly weaken voter turnout. No, this isn't a Glenn Beck novel, this is real and will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to those who think our rights are genuinely inalienable. Clearly they are not if it means netting a political edge.

The thing I don't get is why there isn't more outrage over this. The cornerstone of democracy is readily being compromised by the people who are elected to serve us, the same people who are now trying to turn the tables on that relationship.