In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Reynolds vs. Sims, that “Especially since the right to exercise the franchise in a free an unimpaired manner is preservative of other basic civil and political rights, any alleged infringement of the rights of citizens to vote must be carefully and meticulously scrutinized.”
The present court appears to have forgotten this. In a recent case , they have upheld a voter identification system in Indiana. The 2005 law, enacted on strictly party lines, was ostensibly aimed at preventing voter fraud, by requiring all voters to show some form of official state ID. The law requires all voters to obtain a state issued ID, which entails a visit to the DMV. If voters wish to cast a provisional ballot, they are required to appear before a clerk or board within 10 days to complete an affidavit.
Democrats in the state legislature argued that the ID requirement was unduly burdensome to the point of actually discouraging certain voters – the poor, elderly and minorities – from exercising their right to vote. Republicans argued that the law was necessary to prevent widespread voter impersonation. However, and the Supreme Court even recognized this, there is no evidence of such fraud actually occurring at any time in Indiana’s history. The legislature has thus risked disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters to address a problem that does not even exist.
If ever anyone had a doubt as to the enduring legacy of this administration, the rulings of a conservative Supreme Court with two Bush appointees should put those doubts to rest.
Filed under: Current Affairs | Tagged: Indiana Voter ID law, Supreme Court, Voter Rights
