Supreme Court Throws voting rights under the bus...
The Supreme Court has ruled to uphold Indiana'a voter ID laws. These laws have the effect of making it more difficult for the elderly and the poor to vote. However, they have the "benefit" of ensuring that that our elections will never suffer the voting fraud like we have no record of taking place in the 20th century!
That's right-- make it harder to vote in order to promote society's interest in preventing something that literally never happens.
In dissent, Justices Souter and Ginsburg:
Indiana’s "Voter ID Law" threatens to impose nontrivial
burdens on the voting right of tens of thousands of the State’s
citizens, [] and a significant percentage of those individuals are
likely to be deterred from voting. The statute is
unconstitutional under the balancing standard of Burdick v. Takushi,
504 U. S. 428 (1992): a State may not burden the right to vote merely
by invoking abstract interests, be they legitimate, [] or even
compelling, but must make a particular, factual showing that threats to
its interests outweigh the particular impediments it has imposed. The State has made no such justification here, and as to some aspects of its law, it has hardly even tried.
More here.
- FILED UNDER: Editor Posts, Elections, Supreme Court
- April 28, 2008








80 year old woman and a dmv 50 miles away
How's that for a scenario where a voter can't get an Id. Now of course, that 80 year old woman living 50+ from a dmv could get an id. It just is incredibly burdensome and difficult. Which means it is adding a burden, placing a higher bar to which this woman has access to vote. The fact of the matter is these cases are not uncommon.
If there is no history of "voter id fraud" and the potential for it would be meaningless anyway in affecting election results, then the Court should rule in favor of preserving the ease in which a person can exercise their right to vote.
- parent
By SEDERMay 1, 2008 - 12:37pm