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Democrats Pursuing Protections to Voting Rights in Aftermath of New Regressive Voter ID Laws
Democrats have announced a major effort to protect voting rights in the 2012 election after many states have passed voter ID laws and restrictions on early voting. Democrats claim that these laws are aimed at disenfranchising voters likely to vote Democratic, including seniors, students, and minorities, all of whom are less likely to have ID. Party leaders are organizing to overturn some of the measures, educating voters on the types of documents necessary to vote and pursuing lawsuits if necessary.
"We have a history of challenging these matters in court if need be. We'll be more than prepared to continue that into the future," said Will Crossley, the Democratic National Committee's counsel and director of voter protection.
Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin have all passed laws this year that allow voters without ID to cast provisional ballots, but the voters must return to a specific location with their ID within a certain time limit or their ballot will be discarded. Early voting restrictions have been approved in Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Voters have had some success in overturning the new voter laws. In Maine, voters repealed a new state law that required voters to register at least two days before an election. In Ohio, activists have gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on a law reducing the number of days of early voting. The law will not take effect until after residents vote in the referendum next year.
