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Representative Ron Forster |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Voter ID2005 General AssemblySeptember 20, 2005 -- With all the controversy of election re-counts in the past few years and cries of one candidate stealing the election over another, I was shocked to learn that two-thirds of states have zero identification requirements (except for HAVA requirements) and the others were, at best, very slack. I am proud to be a part of the solution in Georgia for what to do about voter fraud: require photo identification at the polls. It’s simple and it’s common sense. We submitted H.B. 244 on the House side that included Voter ID legislation as part of broader election reforms and, despite black legislators storming out of the General Assembly and calling any one who voted for the bill a “racist”, the bill passed. Then Governor signed it. Letters and petitions were filed with the Justice Department demanding the bill be rejected for racism and discrimination against minorities and the elderly, and obnoxious editorials appeared in national newspapers saying that Georgia Republicans wanted the reinstitution of Jim Crow (the fact is Republicans actually repealed Jim Crow laws in the last session). When most liberals have facts (which seems rare) they do argue them. In cases like this, where the law is not on their side, they resort to yelling and exaggeration. Not to be dissuaded by hype, the United States Justice Department has pre-cleared Georgia new election law. Feds
OK voter ID law A law requiring Georgians to show government-issued photo identification in order to vote was approved by the U.S. Justice Department on Friday as opponents immediately vowed a legal challenge. House Bill 244, which created one of the most restrictive voter identification laws in the nation, was among the most fiercely debated measures of the 2005 state legislative session. Republican leaders said the requirement was necessary to prevent voter fraud and ensure the integrity of the ballot. But the act prompted an outcry from Democrats, who argued it would disenfranchise thousands of poor, elderly and minority voters who do not have a driver’s license or other state-issued photo ID. African-American legislators were particularly incensed. They compared the bill to poll taxes, literacy tests and other tactics used to prevent black people from voting in the South in years past. Some black lawmakers stormed out of the General Assembly during votes on the bill. Others angrily or tearfully spoke of painful memories and racial divisions stirred up by it. The Justice Department reviewed the law to ensure compliance with the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which protects minority access to the polls. Georgia is among 16 states subject to the act because of a history of discrimination. “The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division found that the new identification requirements had no negative purpose or effect, nor is there any evidence, for that matter, that the voter ID requirements have a negative effect on the turnout of any voters,” said Brian Roehrkasse, spokesman for the Justice Department. Voter ID requirement, properly administered throughout the state, would at the least restore some minimal level of confidence in the system and correct most bureaucratic bumbling before invalid ballots are counted. For that reason alone, the requirement to show your (free if necessary) photo identification before you receive a ballot has merit. You see, while the further prevention of voter fraud is a significant reason to require voters to show identification, it isn't the main reason for the requirement. The overriding reason to require would-be voters to prove they are who they say they are is to preserve the integrity of that individual ballot and to maintain the value of every other vote cast in that same election across Georgia. Between the rise of computers and the fear of identity theft, if you choose not to have photo identification, frankly you're not going to be able to do much in society, so voting may be the least of your worries (try picking up a prescription or signing for a package at the post office without ID). I have to prove who I say I am when I cash a check. It is avant-garde to make me do the same before I cast a vote for someone I want to represent me in my government. I will grant the antagonist’s assertion the requirement to show a photo ID is an inconvenience. I will further grant them the possibility that there will be some individuals who may resist going to vote because of such an obligation. The voter ID requirement will not disenfranchise anyone -- unless they themselves allow it to. Was a certain young man I know disenfranchised because state law required the polls be closed at 7 p.m. and he didn't feel like leaving his couch until 9 p.m.? No. It was his choice to choose comfort over responsibility. This requirement doesn't target poor, minority or urban voters. It targets inefficiencies in a system wherever they may arise – whether in Atlanta or Ringgold. Moreover, it protects the value of every vote, regardless of by whom it was cast. Arguments to contrary are partisan and flawed. Read the facts of the requirement below and honestly determine if the ID requirement is ‘Common Sense’ or ‘disenfranchising’:
I am getting an inside view that I want to share with everyone. I can be reached by phone in the Ringgold office at (706) 937‑4304 or through the Web site at www.gasrd3.org. ### For More Information Contact:
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