What do liberals know that we don't?
Published September 1, 2013
by Thom Goolsby, Rowan Free Press, September 1, 2013.
The Democrat complaint list goes on and on against photo voter ID in North Carolina: voter suppression, new Jim Crow laws, onerous requirements for college students to cast ballots, etc.
Liberals and their mainstream press allies are at it again, but this is nothing new. They are spouting the exact same old rhetoric used in Georgia before the passage of its photo voter ID law in 2005. Opponents labeled the new law a Jim Crow-era tactic that would be used to suppress the African-American and Hispanic vote. Supporters of voter ID insisted that it was needed to ensure the integrity of the elections process by preventing fraud at the polls.
Georgia’s voter ID law was originally contested in the courts, but won approval and was implemented in 2007. It was first utilized in the 2008 statewide general elections and in no way suppressed the minority vote. In fact, just the opposite occurred — opponents of photo voter ID found themselves “eating crow” from the start of the law’s implementation.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution conducted an extensive elections data review of voter participation in Georgia. It showed that voting by African-Americans rose 44 percent from 2006 (before photo voter ID) to 2010 (after photo voter ID). The increase was even greater for Hispanics — up 67 percent. Turnout among whites was only up 12 percent.
As expected, African-American voting spiked when Obama first ran for President in 2008. However, African-American turnout also increased for the following off-year election of 2010, and this increase was much greater than the previous off-year election of 2006.
Clearly, another factor was driving voter turnout. Could it possibly have been a belief in “election integrity”? Regardless of race, doesn’t everyone want to know that their vote counts and is not diluted by electoral fraud?
Another baseless claim made by liberals and the mainstream media is that North Carolinians should not be worried about protecting their elections from voter fraud because “there isn’t any.” In reality, how would anyone know the extent of election cheating? It is inaccurate and inherently reckless to claim that a problem doesn’t exist when — without photo ID — there is no means to measure fraudulent voting.
Lastly, the naysayers claim that the taxpayer will need to pick up the tab for over 300,000 citizens who do not have photo IDs and cannot afford to pay for them. Georgia’s experience again holds some potential clues as to the validity of this argument. At the time their law was passed, Peach State opponents claimed that over 600,000 free IDs would be required, costing taxpayers millions of dollars. They were just a little off the mark. Since photo voter ID was implemented in 2007, only 26,506 Georgians have obtained free photo IDs.
Opponents of photo voter ID are more than happy to bury their heads in the sand and pretend no problems could or do exist. While they have done so, more than 30 states have adopted voter ID laws. North Carolina is now one of the last states in the Southeast to consider doing so.
The question that everyone should ask is: “What’s wrong with identifying yourself at the polls?” We all do so at the bank, bar, airport and when using a credit card. Besides, when it comes to voting, we are talking about a fundamental constitutional right.
Why are Democrats making such a big deal about this issue when 72 percent of North Carolinians agree with producing a photo ID at the polling place? A majority of registered Democrats even agree with this reasonable requirement. Maybe the politicians know something that the rest of us don’t. Will we be surprised at the extent of election fraud we discover once individuals are required to identify themselves in order to vote?
September 1, 2013 at 12:16 pm
Jacob Williamson says:
You, like all N.C. conservatives, fail to mention all of the other terrible aspects of the Voter I.D. bill.
What do liberals know that you don't? Liberals know what you're attempting to do when you
Cut early voting by a week
Cut Sunday voting all together
Add an undue burden on college students to vote by penalizing them and their parents
Etc, etc etc
The conservative movement has a tendency to say something as a statement of fact and then espouse outrage when thinkers (let's call them liberals) call out their "truthiness."
Truthiness, in case you aren't hip to the term, is the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true.
Your party thrives on truthiness, and a base too zealous and ignorant to see through it.
Sure, a majority of North Carolinians back the voter ID aspect of the bill, but a majority of North Carolinians also see through every other aspect of this terrible draconian law. And you know this, Thom, that's why you're not defending those parts of the bill in this piece of partisan truthiness.
And that's why liberals know, in 2014 or 2016 or 2020, you will lose, you will lose so completely when you're bigoted old white base dies that American politics as we know it will cease to be. And I can't wait.
Here's to a progressive world
September 3, 2013 at 8:48 am
TP Wohlford says:
And all talking points.
Again, I point to states where you have ONE day to vote. ONE. And you have to show PHOTO ID. And in those places, minority voting has been increasing. In places with horrible race relation histories no less.
But far be it for me to dispel yet another "progressive" liberal Dem talking point with actual evidence. Cause being a liberal is all about feeling like you're one of the smart, cool guys?
OH, btw, the GOP has tended to stay in office after a takeover. Until, of course, they forget why they were elected into office. More evidence.
September 1, 2013 at 1:24 pm
TP Wohlford says:
Don't forget the example of Michigan. Enforcement of a voter ID law started for the Obama election, and it didn't seem make a difference in minority vote. In fact, it still remains high. And Michigan only has 1 voting day.
September 1, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Kevin Clark says:
Here's what we know. We know that you're right about one thing, presenting ID at a polling place isn't a horrible idea, or asking overly much of our state's voters. But we also know that the bill just signed into law in North Carolina contains a whole lot more than that one simple requirement.
The new law shortens the early voting periods, shortens voting hours, ends same-day registration and puts a stop to the horrific practice of high school teachers registering their students to vote in their first election. It's these provisions that are *clearly* meant to suppress Democratic vote, and several on the right have admitted as much (failing to stick to the talking point that you adhered to so well in your column).
"The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates," according to former Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer.
"The reduction in the number of days allowed for early voting is particularly important because early voting plays a major role in Obama's ground game," conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly acknowledged.
Also, the law does not address absentee ballots at all, which seem like they can be easily manipulated. Why? Because these primarily benefit Republican candidates.
But what's wrong with the rest of the law? Plenty. And you know it, too. And continuing to make believe our concerns have no merit because "72 percent of North Carolinians agree with producing a photo ID at the polling place" is intentionally ignoring the larger picture, and insulting to our intelligence.
