The Importance Of Minority Voting

The 5-4 ruling to gut that protection unleashed an immediate wave of state laws that made voting more challenging, including the addition of identification requirements, scaling back of early voting and the tightening of registration rules. Many, including the Brennan Center for Justice, have characterized these new rules as a transparent attempt to suppress the vote of demographics, such as black Americans and younger voters, who tend to vote for the Democratic

In the article "The Big Lie Behind Voter ID Laws," the editorial board explains how Republican officials and legislators try to pass new voting laws such as requiring photo ID in order to keep eligible voters from voting. They explain how such laws target mainly minorities and poor people. Along with that, there is discussion of a Federal District Judge’s written opinion showing how the law abused the Voting Rights

Furthermore, in her review "Burdening The Right To Vote: Assessing The Impact Of Mandatory Photo Identification Requirements On Minority Voting Strength,” Kristen Clarke discusses how requiring photo ID’s can greatly affect African Americans and Latinos and their participation in elections. In his article "Lower Voter Turnout is seen in States that Require ID,” Christopher Drew also discusses some of the inconveniences possibly causing potential voters not to vote such as having proper identification or being unaware of further requirements needed when arriving at the polls. Both political parties have completely different views on the real purpose of some of the voter restriction laws and requiring photo ID’s which would be one more obstacle

The fact remains that in an ever-evolving modern society, IDs are a necessity for people in their daily lives (Zorka). IDs are needed to board a plane and to protect against insurance fraud (Zorka). Does this make airports and hospitals racist? (Zorka). The fact remains that the majority of people in the United States have identification, and it is not that much to ask to have them bring it to vote (Kobach). Kobach points out that there are more valid IDs in Kansas than there are eligible voters (Kobach). Zorka goes so far as to say that it is racist to claim that voter ID laws are disenfranchising because you are saying that minorities are too lazy to get the identification needed to vote (Zorka). In Indiana, driver’s licenses are free, which means that in no way is a voter ID law a poll tax (Siegel). Also, identification is not needed for those who are disabled or older than 65 because this may be burdensome on them (Siegel). Voter ID laws are a necessity, and the burden of obtaining an ID is not something that great. This is why the claim that voter ID hurts minorities is

The idea of obtaining a voter ID and presenting it at polls to vote is a concern amongst Republicans and Democrats. Republicans believe that a voter ID should be required at polling areas and create laws in support of this notion, however Democrats believe that by passing these laws we deny the constitutional right of citizens to vote, therefore rendering these laws unconstitutional. I for one believe that we should have voter ID laws which required people show a form of ID at polling stations to ensure that votes registered for a poll are that of a citizen and that of the one who is voting. Based on the three articles from The Enduring Debate, debating whether we should have Voter ID laws, we can see as to how voting fraud can be committed and how it’s only use may possibly be used to push the Republican agenda and disrupt the Democrats agenda.

Voter Identification Laws, Diminished Registration Opportunities, and Reduced Early Voting Periods Impact Minority, Poor, and Elderly Voters

It 's the time of the season when the stakes run high. Our democracy is currently under a fierce battle to decide its next leader, supreme court justice, and overall pathway forward. Another item on the docket of democracy is the new voter ID laws. These laws have been strengthening and becoming more widespread over the past decade. North Carolina is but the latest state to adopt this voter ID policy and with the current circumstances, few realize the fierce battle North Carolina is facing.. These new laws, passed laws in 2013, made showing an approved government issued ID mandatory if one wanted to vote this election cycle. In addition they also outlawed same day registration and the ability to vote outside one 's precinct. North Carolina’s passage was just another addition to the ongoing controversy surrounding these voter ID laws. This is an issue that has divided the nation, and now our home state. Critics of the new laws say that the laws disenfranchise potential voters, specifically those of African-American and Hispanic backgrounds. Supporters of the laws have adopted the platform that voting is a privilege and that the new laws are necessary and proper to protect against voter fraud. Whichever side you find yourself on one thing is clear, these new

Many people believe that the law will help reduce voter fraud. In our day-to-day lives identification is required as a security measure. We are required to provide identification for simple things such as cashing a check, boarding a plane, and picking up a prescription. These identification requirements are legitimate

Voter identification laws are made specifically in order to stop certain people from voting, and hurt the candidates that they would have otherwise voted for. This can be seen from an analysis of where the voter identification laws have been passed and how they have affected the winners of elections. Source E cites a Washington Post article that draws a direct line towards voter identification laws and Republican legislatures. The article says, “Where these laws are enacted, the influence of Democrats and liberals wanes and the power of Republicans grows…” What they are really saying is that Republicans pass these laws to suppress Democratic voters, so they can be voted in again in the next election. It is a widely known fact that more minorities vote Democrat, so these Republican lawmakers try to stop some of the minorities from voting by passing these identification laws.

During the 2012 presidential elections, many of the vote turnout rates revealed that the minority vote was the most decisive and important vote for the election. In fact, the minority vote, in 2012, was accredited for Barrack Obama’s presidential incumbency. An example analysis of the aforementioned statement was shown in the Minority Turnout Determined the 2012 Election article by William H. Frey. In his article Frey reports that “[the] increased minority turnout was indeed responsible for Obama’s win in the 2012 election… during this period, the (typically Democratic leaning) combined Black and Hispanic electorate rose to approach nearly quarter of eligible voters” (The Brookings Institution). Frey’s research helps illustrate how crucial,

Republican proponents claim that voter identification laws do not discourage those who are most likely to vote from turning out to the polls. They also believe voter identification laws are vitally essential to discourage voter fraud and to strengthen public trust in the electoral system (Gerken 40). Looking closer at both sides of this continuing controversy will help to clarify each sides claims and reveal any misinformation.

Historically in America, voting has been a relatively discriminatory practice. It has limited and deprived many individuals of many diverse races, ethnicities, and walks of life from casting their votes to select the individual who they feel is most educated, and skilled to represent their interests. Not only has this been proven to be wrong by discriminating minority groups in voting, it also has proved to be a process, which minimizes the largest growing demographics in the country. Furthermore, with millennials growing to become more politically active, minority groups are becoming more politically involved than ever. Taking this into account an important question that is raised by the author William Eskridge in his book “Legislation and Statutory Interpretation” is “Would minorities be better off with more representatives who had to pay attention to their interests because they are a powerful and organized constituency, rather than with a few representatives of minority districts who specialize in protecting only their interests?” (Eskridge,Frickley,& Garrett, 2006, pp.55).

Our Voting System is clearly being corrupted. Problems identifying legitimate voters is much more serious than anyone is acknowledging. With identity scams on the rise, states are getting tougher on the identification requirements needed to vote. In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that a provision of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional and those counties and states previously subjected to these laws did not need approval to make changes to their voter ID laws. Eight states passed voter ID laws that year. Since then three states Georgia, Indiana and Florida require photo ID’s, eighteen other states now require some form of identification (National Conference of State Legislatures), with the other 25 only requiring signatures. In lieu of all the voter ID fraud, is it imperative for states to put in place a Voter ID Law? Will these laws put a burden on the states citizens or will they become disenfranchised if they don’t have the proper ID (Rodriguez, US. Election Assistant Commission), and is it just another hurdle that voters will have to leap over to vote for who or what they believe in?

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and one of the most important when it comes to voting in the United States of America. This Amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870 after the civil war and was met by a flurry of great full voters and scornful American citizens. Racism has been a problem in America since its founding and, despite common misconception, is still a serious issue today. With the 2016 elections just around the corner it’s important we has American recognize the issue of voter ID discrimination and how it is not only going directly against the constitution but also unethical and immoral in our modern American society.

Since the establishment of our great country, Americans utilized the ballot box as a freedom of expression. Voting is a basic right that many of us take for granted, some even viewing it as a “God given right.” As citizens, we expect the right to vote. Many oblivious to the fact that voting is a privilege that can be revoked. The process, commonly referred to as disenfranchisement, is the principle reason for my summary. Today more than ever, one of America's post-election concerns is voter turnout. Usually, the numbers are bleak, especially during local elections. As a society, we cannot afford to turn our back on one of the pillars of a democracy. If elected officials are to represent segments of voters, then people from all