Senators Ask GAO to Probe Voter ID Laws as ‘Poll Tax’
Four senators have asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate state laws that leave voters “unreasonably hindered or burdened” while trying to prevent voter fraud.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sens. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) asked GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro in a letter today to conduct the study on an “alarming number” of voter laws — 19 — that have sprung up in 14 states.
The senators cite an unspecified study that found “the enactment of strict voter identification laws directly impacts the 21 million citizens who do not have access to a government-issued ID, the majority of whom are young voters, African Americans, Hispanics, those earning $35,000 per year or less, and the elderly.”
The letter adds that state measures requiring proof of citizenship place “extreme burdens on third-party registration efforts.”
“We know that many hard-working Americans cannot afford the costs associated with complying with these laws, from the hundreds of dollars in documentation fees required in one state to register, to the time an individual living in a rural state needs to take off from work to travel to the nearest DMV which is hours away and is no longer open late or on weekends,” the senators write. “It is clear that these state requirements can and do become de facto poll taxes for many low-income individuals.”
The senators call “voter impersonation fraud — the purported justification for these unnecessarily burdensome requirements — reportedly minimal.”
In order for Congress to “take the action necessary” against voter-ID laws, they need “an accurate picture” from the GAO, the letter states, including what percentage of eligible voters have necessary documents, broken down by race, gender and socioeconomic status, and which states have curtailed early voting to comply with new laws.
“We also request that the GAP conduct a study and present data on any prosecutions or convictions for voter impersonation fraud within each state during the previous 10 years,” the senators conclude.
On the day of the Minnesota caucus, PJ Media broke James O’Keefe video showing how easy it is to register Tim Tebow and Tom Brady to vote in the state.
Anyone who opposes voter ID is advocating vote fraud. Period.
In the meantime, while people duke it out over photo IDs, let’s make everyone who votes get a purple index finger, like in Iraq—and make them imprint that inked finger next to their alleged name.
Yes Buzzsaw, because we want America to be more like Iraq. That’s why we invaded – to make us more like them.
Way to miss the point. Those ink-stained fingers were a pretty foolproof method to prevent people from voting multiple times and it cost almost nothing. No, we can’t possibly do something to prevent vote fraud and especially not something cheap. We need to spend billions on some high-tech system (contract going to Obama bundlers, no doubt) that will solve the problem some day, maybe.
Democrats: If they can’t cheat; they can’t win. Cheers -
If Republicans wanted to get up the Democrats’ nose in a big way, they could require that the identities of those voting be checked against computerized lists of people wanted by the police and other government agencies. They could cast their vote, have their voting preferences registered by exit polls, and then …
The question is not how easy it may be to register fraudulently, but — how many votes are actually fraudulent.
In New Mexico, “From the 64,000 voter registration records she (Sec’y of State Dianna Duran) once referred to state police as possible cases of voter fraud, we are down to 100-plus voters apparently registered illegally. Of those “illegally” registered, 19 possible non-citizens might have cast a ballot they should not have. Another 641 people, now believed to be deceased, remain on the rolls, although there is scant evidence they are voting. That’s out of 1.1 million registered voters, by the way.” Santa Fe “New Mexican”, Nov 27, 2011.
We don’t know yet how much this investigation cost!
You’ve only managed to show how incompetent New Mexico is when attempting to prove that all voters are legal voters. Maybe they need a system that can be better audited…. like voter ID.
Voter ID laws entirely disenfranchise the Necro-American community. Democrats will fight tooth and nail for the right of the dearly departed to cast their ballot for the democrat candidate of their choice.
1.8 million dead voters, 24 million inaccurate registrations!
And how many fraudulent votes are we getting out of these 1.8 million dead voters, and 24 million inaccurate registrations?
How many chads will be hanging around?
The people we need to disenfranchise are the 47% who don’t have any “skin in the game”. Moochers and takers shouldn’t be allowed to vote to take more and more fom the producers and makers.
I’m 67, retired, and living on a few small pensions and social security. Does that make me part of “the 47% who don’t have any “skin in the game”? Should I consider myself one of the “Moochers and takers [who] shouldn’t be allowed to vote to take more and more from the producers and makers”?
If you didn’t pay income tax on your income, yes, it does make you a moocher. Maybe you were a veteran. Thank you for your service, now pay your taxes.
As far as I am concerned there should be one tax rate and maybe one deduction. No others. No tax exempt bonds, no tax shelters, zilch. You earn income (as opposed to a distribution of principle) you pay tax. Earn dividends, pay the same rate. Earn unearned income? Pay same rate. Everybody pays quarterly (or maybe all at once just before November elections), no withholding. FICA? It goes away. There is no trust fund and no reason to pretend that there is. You and others of your generation failed to hold the politicians accountable and they spent the Socialism Security surplus already.
I’m sure you won’t like me saying that but it’s true in any event. I paid 35% of my income in taxes last year (combined state, federal and local), and I have a good CPA or it would have been worse. And I didn’t earn into 6 figures. You too buddy. Have all the government you want, just don’t expect others to pay for it.
Well RKV, it looks like you got it all worked out – the only people who get to vote are people who pay income taxes.
Great plan, but for the fact that MOS likely pays property tax, sales tax, hidden taxes embedded in his phone service, etc.
To my mind, the only reason to oppose voter ID laws is because voter fraud benefits your political party (Democrats have a long history with voter fraud); however, assuming MOS is a US citizen who is not a felon, he has every right to vote.
The word “unreasonable hinder or burden” implies that there is a “reasonable” hinder or burden. After all, why can’t I simply walk up to the ballot box and slip in the ballot that I printed off the internet and filled out at home. Would be a lot quicker for me that way. Why–because it would be very easy to commit fraud, and mass fraud, that way, especially in large areas where people do not know each other by sight.
It has already been conceded for generations that the people have a right to determine that a person presenting themselves to vote is someone entitled to do so in that district. Presentation of a ID card is just a logical extension of checking someone’s name off of a list–a practice that once upon a time did not occur, since population sizes used to be small enough so that people in a district knew each other by face. That practice of the registration roll was introduced to prevent fraud. So it is with Voter ID laws.
If Voter ID is an unreasonable burden, then so are registration rolls and any need at all to check in at a registration table.
Requiring ID to vote is no more burdensome than requiring ID to get food stamps or board an airplane. And every state will provide a state ID card free of charge, so the cost argument isn’t there either.
The problem with requiring ID cards is the number of Demonrat voters that will suddenly disappear.
I am always amazed at the complaints by the likes of the four stooges (Durbin, Leahy, Sanders, and Nelson) who complain that the poor people and minorities will be disenfranchised by voter id. Yet NEVER, NEVER do we hear about these people asking the NAACP, AARP, LULAC, ACLU, DNC, CBC, ACORN, or even Soros to actually help these people obtain IDs. In the time that these people have been complaining about voter ID they probably could have obtained an ID for every person in the US that needed one but could not afford get one. Stupid, stupid liberals.
“Stupid, stupid liberals.”
No, they’re evil.
The purple finger is only a partial solution. It stops the merry-go-round voting but they will still own the “absentee” vote.
The problem with leftists is that they are largely amoral. Stealing votes arouses no guilt reponse in them. They are the best evidence in favor of puddle to people evolution.
they can get signed up for countless government handouts but can’t figure out how to get an i.d. card to vote? yep. sounds about right.
somebody can’t figure out how to get an i.d. card in our computerized society?
yeah, like little babies, and the severely or mentally challenged. again, sounds about right.
guess those congresscritters know their constituents better than anyone else, huh?
anyone fighting against potential voters proving who they are to vote is trying to help commit voter fraud. anyone who commits voter fraud needs to be in prison, mandatory standard prison time, no exceptions. 1 + 1 = 2 all day long.
Americans have a right to not have con men running their country, as we obviously have now. do something positive election day. if you can, watch at the polls for voter fraud, document and report it. i believe it will eventually clear out these bums. but be careful, they are a nasty bunch and don’t play fair.
Since our voter ID law was struck down in SC, we are planning to man the polls and photograph people who vote without an ID… we will post their photos online from all the polling places… so that we can see the people who are committing fraud and see to it that they are PROSECUTED. The Black Panthers had bats and billy clubs, we have cameras and the internet… we are tired to the fraud and we’re not taking it any more.
good luck to all honest Americans trying to stop this rampant corruption.
lots of ways to cheat, and lots of cameras out there these days. almost every cell phone has one. lots of volunteers needed to help out too i imagine.
my grandma always said its hard to be crooked in a small town, too many eyes on you. i think maybe she was on to something.
Be careful Elaine- I work the polls in SC and taking pictures inside the polling place is against the law. You can take pictures of people coming and going but no photos are allowed inside. That said, there is no excuse for any one in SC to be with out a phote ID. They are free and people will come pick you up and take you to get one if you have trouble with trandsportation. This is just one more boulder for the Dems to throw in the road to rig the election
Strangely enough, if you go to an IRS office to request a copy of your tax return transcript, guess what? No ID? No transcripts. Period.
I favor a simple test that every potential voter must pass with a 100% score before being allowed inside the voting booth. Question 1: The sun revolves around the earth from east to west. T ( ) or F ( ). Question 2: The United States of America was founded as a democracy. T ( ) or F ( ). Question 3: The United States of America is located in the Eastern Hemisphere. T ( ) or F ( ). Question 4: The Declaration of Independence proclaims that all persons are entitled to life, liberty, and equal wealth. T ( ) or F ( ). Question 5: The 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives complete authority to the president to determine when to declare war. T ( ) or F ( ).
That should weed out 90% of all progressive voters.
of all voters.
you say that like it’s a bad thing
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
Winston Churchill
The official corruption of the GAO & the Justice Dept. are simply astounding. With these people, who needs elections?
Repeal the Seventeenth Amendment. Then only allow people to vote who have paid taxes for the year preceding the vote. Change the nationwide Election Day to the first Saturday following April 15th. I mean, do these Senators give a rat’s patooty that having the polls open during normal business hours on a weekday unfairly disenfranchises the employed? I doubt it.
Ah, Dick Durbin, champion of illegals. Wasn’t he the one who packed the Senate chamber with illegal students for the Dream Act hearing – leaving no room for American citizens.
Illinois Democrats are scrambling to get photos of the dead people so they can create ID’s.
Just give em all a pic of Joe Biden
Since 1986 you have to show a picture ID to get a job. Upon hiring EVERY employee is required by the Federal Government to complete an I9. In order to complete the I9 you have to provide government issued ID that proves who you are and that you are eligible to work in the United States. Usually this takes the form of a State issued ID card or Driver’s License and a SS Card.
I guess the people that can’t get an ID don’t have a job.
The termites continue to find the CHINK in defense of liberty. Voter ID is a non-issue. In many states the state offices offer voter registration at the time the “customer” is conducting other business. This is prevalent in the welfare offices where Libs controlling government want as many recipients on the rolls as possible. Also, the states offer ID that resemble an ID card that resembles a driver’s license. That people under $35,000 cannot afford this? I guess when you are an extraordinarily over-paid elected official, $35,000 sounds like very little but to the conscientious voter, a $30 ID card is not really that much. My only surprise is that an FL senator would propose this; he must have chosen to represent only residents of Miami/Dade.
So, all we have to do is get a list of voters in several Illinois precincts then vote in that person’s name. Especially the names of old people in nursing homes. Give me 100 guys and do this over and over in 50 precincts. I can then control who wins.
This is delay and obfuscation and the Dems are the best at doing just that. No one is denied access. If this be their call, then Dems should take an oath not to tell the same people they think are disenfranchised for any political contributions or any volunteer time to help promote Democratic causes or candidates. After all, if the people to whom they refer in their obfuscation politics cannot afford to obtain a voter registration card then they certainly cannot afford either time or money for political contributions.
Voter fraud in the making,rigged elections and we are going along with it.
The SC voter ID law was struck down… it provided FREE id’s to those without ID and for those willing to sign a sworn statement of citizenship, the ability to vote without an ID. Free transportation was also offered for those needing a ride… BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH for Eric Holder our 91,000 DEAD people on our voter rolls along with all the people with drivers license but that DO NOT LIVE in SC anymore… well they’d be disenfranchised you see… IT’s OK for LEGAL voters to be DISENFRANCHISED and have our votes nullified by ILLEGAL aliens, and Dead people voting… that’s fine and dandy, but somehow BLACK people are too STUPID to get a FREE ID?
“91,000 DEAD people on our voter rolls along with all the people with drivers license but that DO NOT LIVE in SC anymore”
And where is the evidence that people are walking into the polls to vote in the name of these dead/absent citizens?
These Senators cry, whine and howl this places“extreme burdens on third-party registration efforts.” Bull Pucky everyone has valid ID and those who don’t have reasons for not having one. 1.8 million deceased voters and 24 million voters with inaccurate and fraudulent information is more than enough to sway a national election. Our neighboring country to the south, Mexico, requires those who vote to present a valid government issued voter registration card with photo.
You can’t travel, drive a vehicle, buy liquor and alcohol,rent an apartment,open up a bank account, obtain welfare, medicaid and Section 8 housing without valid ID. Most States will provide those without a valid ID with one free or a nominal cost. To quote my Island Cousin. “I might be stupid bruddah but I no dumb. There should be total support in reducing voter fraud and those who don’t we all know why.
Yesterday when I bought Sudafed, not only did I have to show my driver’s license, the cashier at the pharmacy scanned it so they have record of my purchase. This is a Federal requirement, hmmm, I wonder if minorities, the poor, the elderly need cold / allergy medicine surely we don’t make them go without? I wonder how these senators voted on this law.
“The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 has been incorporated into the Patriot Act signed by President Bush on March 9, 2006. The act bans over-the-counter sales of cold medicines that contain the ingredient pseudoephedrine, which is commonly used to make methamphetamine. The sale of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine is limited to behind the counter. The amount of pseudoephedrine that an individual can purchase each month is limited and individuals are required to present photo identification to purchase products containing pseudoephedrine. In addition, stores are required to keep personal information about purchasers for at least two years.
What will be required to purchase pseudoephedrine?
In order to purchase pseudoephedrine:
Buyers must:
Present a photo identification card issued by the State or the Federal Government or a document that is considered acceptable by the seller
Enter into the logbook their information such as name, address, date and time of sale, and signature
Sellers must:
Verify the logbook entries, and enter in the name of the product and quantity sold”
http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/informationbydrugclass/ucm072423.htm
All of the states that I am aware of which passed a valid photo ID requirement provided funding for those who could not afford the DMV fee, these senators are pandering to their base, a valid photo id is needed and it only addresses some internal control weaknesses in the voting process. Citizens can always vote absentee without any hardship.
Why not take a photo of each person voting and charging those who are illegal the cost of the photo times the number of illegals voting. I suppose that would be a tax. Put it into a charitable fund to buy Sheriff Joe more pink dye for his prison undies.
Columbus, Georgia 1952. My father went to vote for Ike. At the poll, the democrat KKK running the elections asked my dad for a poll tax and they would then give him a literacy test. My dad protested and stated that he had an advanced college degree & worked for the US Army at Ft. Benning. the kkk democrats would not bend. since my dad was registered as an R, they were not going to afford him or anyone that was a ‘colored’ the right to vote. my dad returned home and told us the story of why he could not vote. i never forgot what happened that November.
adios,
harv
Lancaster, Taxifornia
push 1 for English ONLY in the USA
got voter motor bill?
And poll tax/literacy tests have been declared illegal, while all the “democrat KKK running the elections” are now registered Republicans — as LBJ predicted, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Raymond,
Nice try, but history proves otherwise. Democrats fought a civil war to preserve slavery, enacted the Jim Crow laws, created and manned Ku Klux Klan, invented the machine politics of Tammany Hall and Obama’s Chicago, fought the Civil Rights Act tooth and nail, etc.
Robert Byrd, the recently retired Democratic Sen. from West Virginia and former Ku Klux Klan member, was lauded during his retirement ceremony by Bill Clinton. Being a Democrat, Byrd would likely appreciate your pathetic attempt to rewrite history, but those of us who face things as they are recognize your assertion for what it is – a lie. Tell yourself whatever you need to in order to remain a Democrat, but don’t expect the rest of us to not challenge your revisionist history. That said, some Democrats did switch to the Republican Party (Arlen Specter, for instance; but then he switched back to his proper home among the Democrats).
Ah, Wayne, perhaps you can explain to me how it is that pre-LBJ the South was almost solid Democrat, yet now it is majority GOP — yet there has been no influx of Republicans from other states. Where did all those Republicans come from, if not out of the southern Democrat Party? They were segregationists before LBJ, and segregationists after LBJ. The only thing that changed was their “stripes.”
Before LBJ, it was republican. After LBJ, its was republican. The only change came in the dems who realized the strength of the minority vote and tried to trade specal favors in exchange for votes. While this worked in the north, many people in the south will not forget how they were treated by the dems and the KKK. There was no magic “switch of parties” Al Gore Sr voted against equal rights as did Byrd and many other dems. Did they change their party later? no.
You cannot do anything in society these days without some sort of ID. Voting should be no exception.
Why?