https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:28:25 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-366275 Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:35:25 +0000 immabeetoo 366275@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I read this today and thought I'd share, I think of The Economist as pretty impartial: <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21565259-discouraging-citizens-voting-not-good-democracy-counting-voters-counting-votes" rel="nofollow">http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21565259-discouraging-citizens-voting-not-good-democracy-counting-voters-counting-votes</a></p> <p>and ditto @jedeve and @mrsjacks ' points. I worked at an agency with homeless/near-homeless young adults and while photo ID seems like a no-brainer to you or me, it is a huge hassle especially if you're living in shelters, group homes, or grew up in foster care where it is more likely to have been lost, stolen, or misplaced. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-364245 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:06:35 +0000 mamimami 364245@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In Mexico you're required not just to have an ID but a voter ID. Different historical baggage, I know. But it seems like a more reliable system - in fact, it has been a model for other countries. It's a developing country but somehow most people find a way to get their IDs. I should mention it is free. It has your photo, thumbprint, name and signature. </p> <p>I have tried to explain to my Mexican husband why the ID issue is such a big one in the US, and the ways ID laws were used against people in the past. But after awhile I just felt silly explaining. The whole thing seems silly. I think people should have to use IDs, but obviously with a long implementation period and a way for people to get IDs for free.</p> <p>ETA: 95% of eligible voters in Mexico are registered this way vs. 55% in the US: blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/02/8-things-the-u-s-election-system-could-learn-from-mexicos </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-364230 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 18:44:08 +0000 jedeve 364230@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It does seem like it shouldn't be a big deal. You have to show your id to drink, right? But there are some more subtle issues with it. </p> <p>First is that voting is a right with no strings attached. And it can seem anal to get protective about that, but anytime we institute a requirement, we are stepping on rights a little bit. You aren't required to own a photo ID. </p> <p>The next is, for some people it is a big deal to get a photo ID. For example, I worked at a homeless shelter for years. I knew lots of men who would have their wallets stolen, had no access to their birth certificate (it is so hard to gets copy of if you don't have ID) and so couldn't get a photo ID. I knew one guy with a job who couldn't cash his paycheck because he couldn't open a bank account without an ID, and he couldn't pay for an ID until he cashed his check! It can be hard to imagine that kind of poverty, where ten bucks is a big deal, but for some people it is totally an issue. </p> <p>The biggest issue is changing election laws close to Election Day. This didn't come up in May in a non federal election year. I don't want to get too political, but these laws were introduced by Republicans in swing states, some on record saying they were doing it so Romney would win. Democrats are much more likely to be poor and elderly, two groups who are less likely to have photo ID (think Nana who hasn't driven or flown in 20 years, is her license up to date?) and so it could affect election outcomes.</p> <p>The truth is, while it seems shady, there have been VERY few cases of voter fraud. It wold take a mass coordinated effort to effect the election through having IDless people vote. If hundreds of people were showing up at the polls being told someone had voted for them already, you would hear about it, you know? Voter fraud just doesn't really happen. If it did, ID less might make sense. But since it doesn't and keeps good people from voting, it is a problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363970 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:16:21 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 363970@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Imagine yourself a single mom of 3 kids who works 2 jobs to keep food on the table. You don't have enough money to have a car, so your drivers license is no longer valid and it's going to take you 3 busses ($6) and half a day off of work ($40) to go renew the license ($12). You just lost almost a full days pay in order to exercise your right to vote. That's a huge hurdle to overcome and is tantamount to a poll tax.</p> <p>These are exactly the type of people that are likely to vote for Dems and who the republicans want to disenfranchise. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363937 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:45:50 +0000 marionberry 363937@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In my state we vote by mail, so talk about what could be extreme corruption, I don't really like it. I do think though that we expect a person to have an ID to hop on a plane, to drive a car, to get married, etc. and why wouldn't we for something this important? I guess it's different in my side of the world where we have very little public transportation and therefore far more drivers. There are the poorest of poor and immigrants and more who have drivers licenses here. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363922 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:25:13 +0000 Grace 363922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hergreenapples: Heehee, I've always thought it would be fun to go vote and say that I'm so-and-so and have my buddy vouch for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363904 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:04:51 +0000 pinkcupcake 363904@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MediaNaranja: @yoursilverlining: couldn't have said it any better than you ladies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363890 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:47:21 +0000 heartonastring 363890@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyD: You don't have to show ID in Canada. There is a variety of options in order to verify your identity: <a href="http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&#038;dir=ids&#038;document=index&#038;lang=e" rel="nofollow">http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&#038;dir=ids&#038;document=index&#038;lang=e</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363867 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:00:26 +0000 JennyD 363867@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You have to show id here in Canada. It's never been a big deal... or maybe it's proof of address . . . now I'm not sure. I just know it's not a big deal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363838 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:06:11 +0000 skibobrown 363838@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that changes to the rules right before an election would be bad and could have unintended consequences for people who don't have IDs (presumably mostly poor people). I see both sides of this. One the one hand, we do show IDs for all kinds of things, so why not for voting. However, I don't have the numbers on how many people out there don't actually have IDs. I also see that we don't want to put hurdles in place for voting, since this is a key right for all American citizens. Voting should be easy, so that we don't accidentally push certain groups out of the voting booth. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363833 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:00:02 +0000 Maysprout 363833@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Poll taxes were instituted in some states under Jim Crow laws and were then deemed unconstitutional. So I think there's an element of emotional response against voting hurdles because it was not all that long ago put their to disenfranchise certain populations. </p> <p>In PA the reason I'm against voter ID for the current election is because it's a rule change close to an election. I know plenty of people who have temporarily let their license expire or who just haven't bother obtaining one because they don't drive, especially if they're younger college students, they might just not have ID yet and college IDs wouldn't necessarily count. To expect a slew of people to go down to obtain a licence or a form of acceptable ID from the DMV in a month before election is just chaos, it makes me cringe just to think of the lines and and most people won't want to jump through those kinds of hurdles. And it's a rule that shoved in close to an election disproportionately affects certain populations over others. Maybe next year or the year after but give people time to get up to date.</p> <p>And also what yoursilverlining said. The forms of ID required to obtain a photo ID from the DMV can be hard and costly to get as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363831 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:58:38 +0000 yoursilverlining 363831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MediaNaranja: Everything you said.</p> <p>Obtaining a *photo* ID which is what's being called for in many states is not as easy as just paying $20 and getting one. You have to show certain legal documents there to prove you are who you say you are, which many people don't have access to; and which often cost additional money (i.e., like getting notarized copies of birth certificates). If you don't drive, don't use public assistance (in a state which requires a photo ID for assistance) - why would you have one?</p> <p>Allowing everyone to vote is a fundamental right if you want a functioning democracy. </p> <p>A note on media bias. That's one of those often-used buzzwords. If you stay away from Fox News (and arguably, MSNBC) there really is very little actual bias. Listeners of NPR and PBS are almost always shown to be the most well-informed on issues; so those are always your safe bets for news. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363812 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:35:57 +0000 MediaNaranja 363812@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The cost of a passport can be prohibitive to some (~$100). The cost of going to the DMV, waiting in line, getting the ID, going home....If I am someone who is working three jobs and struggling to feed my family, I simply can't afford to do that even if the ID is free. Or take the case of the elderly, who have been voting for decades, who cannot drive, who do not have their birth certificates, and have been told this year "sorry, can't vote, no state ID." Voting is a fundamental right that a lot of people have fought hard for. To so easily disenfranchise people because they can't afford to get an ID, is something that is not ok. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363811 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:33:51 +0000 sotomorrow 363811@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What I don't get--Don't you have to have ID to register to vote? I've been registered to vote for 10 years, so I don't remember. I got my license after I turned 18 so I did both the same day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363810 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:29:10 +0000 BSB 363810@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would think you have to show ID to vote to prevent voter fraud but I know they don't.</p> <p>I do remember that they require that you sign your name when you vote and they do have a copy of past signatures. I do remember the voter registration person checking to make sure my signatures match.</p> <p>Maybe they think checking your signature is enough? Maybe they wanted to speed up the line and checking IDs would slow it down?</p> <p>I don't know. All assumptions to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363809 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:26:25 +0000 loveisstrange 363809@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know... A state ID in MO is $11 and it's good for 6 years. I don't know that I think that's "cost-prohibitive" at all.</p> <p>I have no problem showing an ID. I think there has to be some kind of safeguard on people who are not legal to vote voting in our elections. I am American and like in the UK. Do I think I should be able to vote here? No. I am not a citizen of this country. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363806 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:21:38 +0000 Bookish 363806@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I believe the argument is that the right to vote is so essential and fundamental to our country that there should be no barriers to being able to do so. Obtaining a state ID is said to be prohibitive to some groups (both economic and racial) because of the costs involved and so forth, so such ID laws cause extreme controversy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363801 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:02:21 +0000 MrsTiz 363801@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It is so stupid.. voting this week made me realize how truly it would be to commit voter fraud. I could go in and say im anyone as long as I know their address! I have no problem showing my ID to vote and I strongly believe you should have to. Idk why you don't have to? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363800 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:01:25 +0000 MrsHotDog 363800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have never considered having people show their passport but I think that is a good idea too. It does take away the inconvenience if someone just moved to a different county or something. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363799 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:00:02 +0000 Mrs. Cat in the Cradle 363799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Essentially the argument is that obtaining ID can be difficult or cost prohibitive to some individuals. And your individual financial situation should not impact your ability to vote, so that is where your opposition to ID laws comes from. Here is a site with some more indepth information: <a href="http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/voter_id" rel="nofollow">http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/voter_id</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363794 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 07:51:16 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 363794@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Maybe I'm naive too, but it seems like all we should have to do is show our driver's license or passport to prove we don't live in France or something. Registering to vote is so annoying. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-political-question-eek#post-363792 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 07:47:12 +0000 MrsHotDog 363792@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, let me start off by saying that I am not wanting to start a debate. I have a question that I don't understand but I definitely can't ask it on Facebook without being eaten alive. I am not very educated in the field of politics because I get frustrated. With that being said...</p> <p>Can someone please explain to me why you shouldn't have to show your ID to vote? I just don't understand why we have to show our ID for so many things yet people seem to be upset when that they might have to show their ID to vote in the biggest election. </p> <p>Again, I am pretty naive when it comes to politics and I am not informed like I should be. I just hate the lies and then the media bias when it comes to politics. It just seems to me that no matter what party you support that it shouldn't be a big deal to have to show your ID. </p> <p>I hope this post doesn't come across wrong. </p>