Evidence of what Common Cause predicted in our report on the Indiana Primary for young voters is turning up in the news this evening.  Another victory for the architects of voter suprression in the state.

The reports of student voting problems are here, here and here.  New Voters Project has reported from the ground that students at St. Mary's College, a private institution were unable to vote because their college ID does not count under the law, even though public college IDs would - if they have a valid expiration date.

You don't have to turn people away for having the wrong ID, you just have to get people not to turn up because they know they don't have the ID and can't get it.  Some of the coverage above plays down the impact of the ID law on this primary.  Yes, 12 nuns might not seem like a huge number (it's not even a whole cloister), but it's important to remember that there was a whole convent full of retired nuns that didn't and couldn't turn up because they too didn't have the ID.

In the end, suppressing one vote, disenfranchising one citizen is too high a cost to bear for an unfounded fear which produces a bad law.  It's undemocratic, it's un-American.

Russell Baughman fought in three wars for our country. His brother, Ronald, died in one of them.

As thanks for his service, Russell was turned away from the polls when he showed up to vote on March 11.

You see, his drivers license was out of date.

Of course, to drive a car legally in his state of Indiana, one must have an up-to-date drivers license or other up to date photo ID.

But Russell doesn't need to drive a car. He rides his bike.

Word is beginning to spread in the Nutmeg State that some state senators, perhaps emboldened from the Supreme Court's recent ruling, have proposed amending a bill to require photo ID requirements for voting in Connecticut. Seeing is believing... check out the proposed amendment.

No doubt, the amendment's proponents will cite the recent story that documented incidents of voters who are no longer living casting ballots. However, those incidents have more to do with local election officials not doing their jobs by recanvassing registered voters than it does deliberate voter fraud.

This has happened before. Last year, when the Connecticut General Assembly was poised to pass legislation that would permit primary day voter registration, the same kind of amendment was floated.  It was never called. Let's hope this year's amendment shares the same fate.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Eastern Missouri is filing a lawsuit challenging the new voter identification law requiring Missouri voters to provide photo identification when voting. From the Jefferson City News article:

Gov. Matt Blunt, a supporter of photo IDs, signed the bill a month ago in an attempt to eliminate "voter fraud." The Missouri Constitution provides all Missourians who are at least 18 years old and are registered in "the political subdivision in which they offer to vote are entitled to vote at all elections by the people." However, beginning in November, the new law dictates that those not presenting a photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, will have to use a provisional ballot that will be later verified by election officials.

As in Georgia, this move by the Missouri legislature complicates the voting process for the elderly and minorities who may not have a recognized photo ID, and deters an imaginary voter fraud problem.

Read the AP story here.
Read the story from the Jefferson City News-Tribune here.

The Georgia primaries are tomorrow. Over the weekend, there were heated exchanges in the debates for governor and secretary of state. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the subject of photo IDs for voting has become an integral component of the primary races. Generally, the Republican candidates are for mandatory photo ID cards, while the Democratic nominees are against photo voting IDs.

In the race for the Democratic nomination for governor, the debate was over which candidate was a stronger opponent of mandatory IDs. In the Republican debate for the secretary of state nomination, three of the four candidates support mandatory IDs, with only businessman Paul Martin withholding open support for the measure. In the Democratic race, all six candidates opposed photo IDs and also endorsed a paper trail for voting machines.

Last weeks state supreme court decision suspending the GA legislature's photo ID law prompted the debate, and hopefully Georgia voters have become better educated on the topic. It is a shame that the debate is split by partisanship, with candidates on both sides effectively slinging mud at each other in the final push to Tuesday's vote.

For a list of the current voting requirements in Georgia click here.

U.S. District Court Judge Harold Murphy ruled on Wednesday that Georgia's photo voter ID law looked to violate the U.S. Constitution's First and Fourteenth Amendments. The state Supreme Court decision was unanimous, upholding a decision by a lower court in Fulton County. The plaintiffs, who included Common Cause Georgia, asserted that the law was a burden on those who did not have transportation to get a free voter ID card, namely the elderly, the poor, and minorities.

As a result of both court decisions, Georgia voters will be required to show any of 17 forms of identification that include some non-photo documents like a bank statement. Any voter who cannot produce an ID has the option of signing a sworn statement verifying identity.

Republican leaders, including Governor Sonny Perdue, were disappointed by the decision, with Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) saying, "Democrats [. . .] are celebrating victory in court at the expense of Georgia voters." The debate over mandatory photo IDs has unfortunately become partisan.

Nevertheless, the decision is a victory for voting rights. The Georgia primary is next week, and I hope Georgia voters take advantage of the opportunity to vote without unwarranted restrictions.

Yesterday the Committee of House Administration met to discuss H.R. 4844, the Federal Election Integrity Act. The Act, proposed by Henry Hyde (R-IL), would nationally mandate that photo IDs must be presented when voting in a federal election. Chairman Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) oversaw a lively panel discussion with five panelists supporting photos IDs and five panelists in opposition.