I saw an interesting story yesterday about voter id requirements. I've followed this story as a part of my "compassionate conservative" approach to things. Or as I like to say it "think globally, act locally." What this means is I try to vote and think conservatively, then do local things compassionately.
Globally, I think a conservative approach is best for everyone, but then I also realize that there are some people who need a helping hand and when possible, I try to be that helping hand. I give to many local charities and volunteer close to 100 hours each year to help low income individuals and families in their tax preparation.
The voter id law passed by SC was done in an attempt to keep voter fraud in line. The idea is that by requiring an id, illegals won't be able to vote. Some of the opponents have noted that there has never been a case of voter fraud in SC, so the law is unnecessary. They also point to the 200,000 registered voters who do not have a valid SC id (yes, 200,000). They point out that most of these 200,000 are minorities and that, they say, shows that the law is targeted at suppressing minority vote.
Proponents of the law have offered to help un-identified, legal voters get the necessary documentation. Also, the NAACP (which opposes the law) is offering " to drive people to get their picture ID and even finds sponsors for those who can't afford one. I guess both sides can agree to help some of those impacted.
I honestly don't know how I feel about the new law and won't argue either way. But assuming that it stays in effect (the supreme court is reviewing), I think that the offers to help people get their ID is a great way to help people. But what if the people don't want to vote? According to the story I read yesterday (seen here) a lot of the people impacted have no "interest to go out and get a picture id." The story goes on to say "A lot of people don't want to vote. A lot of people say, why should I vote, it doesn't matter."
Unfortunately, I think this lady is right. It's not just about voter id, or even voter education. In order for more people to be interested in voting, politicians have to stay true to their beliefs and state those beliefs clearly. Then, we the people, can vote our hearts and feel that our voice is being heard. Whether it's voting someone into office or kicking someone out, we want our votes to be heard.
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I'm reminded of an old saying about how all that is needed for "evil" to win is for good to do nothing. In this case, the good is the voter ID. Maybe no cases of voter fraud have been verified in SC to date. Fine. But when you have incidences where people can ask of the attorney general of the United States is registered at at certain precinct and they are ready to hand the asker a voter pass without seeing the ID, then we have a problem. A picture ID ensures several things: (1) verifiable address located within the voting precinct, (2) person in the picture looks at least similar to the photo ID, (3) the person in question can vote a MAXIMUM of 1 time because they are immediately crossed off the role. No one who follows these guidelines can ever be accused of fraud because all three pieces ensure a fairly run election, no matter who is voted for. ANd in the end, that's all we really want - our voice to be heard, our vote to be counted - 1 person - 1 possible vote. Don't want to vote? Fine with me - don't vote - and then don't complain - you didn't execute your consitutionally protected right and privilege (criminals not withstanding). Voting, like jury duty, is one of the highest callings in our land. the right to weigh the evidence, and based solely on the evidence at hand, to make an informed opinion. Neither is a waste of time - both are a civic duty. Personally, I feel we should use them in the way they were intended. And I feel we should do so honestly, and purposefully. Sorry this turned into a rant, but this is one issue I have strong feelings on.
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