Voter ID Laws Restrict Latino Voice

State legislatures from across the country are considering voter ID bills; laws that require proof of identification when a citizen exercises his/her right to vote. We should take notice, at the very least.

Voter ID bills are not new, there have been stirrings about them form many years, but they hadn’t found enough strength to be a threat to basic civil rights until the recent Tea Party wave put more conservatives in lawmaking positions at the state level.  Texas is one such place.

This is strange, but not surprising, given the emergency budget shortfall and the looming redistricting  issue. The same is true for other states considering such Voter ID craziness.

The reason that many people believe that vote restricting laws are dangerous is because, according to a recent opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle, they

disproportionately affect women, seniors, students and communities of color.

Here are a few things to consider, gleaned from the same Chronicle piece:

• In a typical year, one in five senior women do not renew their drivers’ licenses.
• …states that had implemented voter ID laws saw a 3 percent across-the-board reduction in voter turnout during the 2004 presidential election. The drop was worse among minorities: African-American turnout was depressed by 5.7 percent and Hispanic turnout was depressed by 10 percent.
• …in a midterm-election exit survey conducted in three counties in California, New Mexico and Washington, voters over 65 were 8 percent less likely to have a driver’s license than younger voters,
• voters with no high school diploma were 5.6 percent less likely to have a valid license than voters with a graduate degree,
• and voters making less than $20,000 per year were 4 percent less likely to have a driver’s license than voters making more than $100,000.
• Low-income voters are disproportionately affected by voter ID laws as well because they are less likely to have a photo ID.
• …low-income citizens are almost twice as likely to move as those with incomes above the poverty level. As a result, low-income Texans are less likely to have an up-to-date photo ID when they come to vote…

Voter ID is a very efficient way to dilute minority and youth votes. And it restricts the voice of our elders. Look for this to happen especially in swing states as we near 2012. The Texas law is expected to be approved before the budget issue is resolved. That gives you a good idea about Texas lawmaking priorities.