When it comes to fighting for the rights and equality of every American, there is only one person that comes to mind: Hillary Clinton. She is the Martin Luther King Jr. of our generation — a true hero who will not cease in her battle for justice. As the Republicans and racists (what’s the difference, really?) plunder the voting rights of Americans of color, we must come together and unite behind Hillary.
After all, who other than Hillary would protect all the “people of color, poor people, and young people” as repressive Republicans “try to prevent, undermine, and inhibit Americans’ right to vote” in the name of a “phantom epidemic of election fraud?”
How dare Republican governors like Pat McCrory require that voters lacking a photo ID obtain one for free by 2016? How can we possibly expect voters without IDs to stop by a DMV and apply for a free ID in the span of more than three years?
And what if the 2014 poll workers who warned every voter that they would need a government-issued ID to vote in 2016 did not speak loudly enough for voters to hear? What if the notices that North Carolina mailed to 218,000 North Carolinians whom it suspected lacked an acceptable form of identification all got lost on the way?
It is clear that Republican despot Pat McCrory has made obtaining a photo ID practically impossible for North Carolinians. Believe it or not, there’s more bad news: if after three years a voter is unable to obtain a free photo ID, they are still eligible to vote but must fill out a form and choose one of the following completely unreasonable explanations: “Lack of transportation, disability or illness, lack of birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain photo ID, work schedule, family responsibilities, lost or stolen photo identification, or photo identification applied for but not received by the voter voting in person.”
After filling out this form exempting them from all photo ID requirements, the voter must instead present either their voter registration card, any one document that contains the voter’s name and address (utility bill, paycheck, etc.), or the last four digits of their Social Security number.
How bigoted of Republicans to assume that poor people and black people could fill out a form and bring a utility bill on election day.
The sad reality is that either Democrats truly don’t believe that minorities and poor folks are capable of such a task, or they are simply exploiting these laws for political gains. My suspicion is the latter.
In all reality, it is very unfortunate that as the media continues to obsess over the mess that is Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton is able to travel from state to state and paint herself as this civil rights warrior our country desperately needs. While Democrats completely pervert reality for political gains, people who support common sense protections of our most fundamental democratic right as American citizens are labeled as racists and bigots.
Even former President Jimmy Carter saw the importance of voter IDs. In his 2005 committee on election reform, he concluded that “Photo identification cards currently are needed to board a plane, enter federal buildings, and cash a check. Voting is equally important.” Unfortunately, anyone who has ever voted in North Carolina knows just how unprotected our elections are. It only takes one time at the voting booth to learn that a name and an address is all one needs to receive a ballot. Until Governor McCrory’s voting reforms take effect in 2016, that is it.
Opponents of photo IDs may claim that we don’t often hear about election fraud all over the news, that it is a “phantom epidemic.” This, however, only goes to prove just how hard it is to detect the fraud. Just recently in 2013, the New York City Department of Investigations had its undercover agents obtain election ballots by using the name of non-residents, deceased individuals and incarcerated felons. The agents were allowed to fraudulently receive a ballot and voted 97 percent of the time.
Every vote cast fraudulently is a vote taken away from an American citizen. This is the real “disenfranchisement.” Having to obtain a free photo ID in three years or having to fill out a form is no more of a “poll tax” than having to go to a voting booth to vote. The same way that we cannot bring a voting booth into everyone’s home, we cannot ignore the reality of how unprotected our elections are. Voter ID laws that make it this easy for voters, while protecting our most sacred democratic principle, is not “discrimination.” It is common sense reform.
If Hillary, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and other shameless Democratic leaders really wanted to protect voters, they would help those without IDs acquire them or point to ways in which photo IDs can be made even more accessible. Instead, they choose the path of mindless rhetoric and mindless voters follow.
Barak Biblin is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs on alternate Wednesdays.
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