Katy Sheridan is a retired grandmother of two who does not own a car. On October 4, 2011, she walked to the polls in the middle of a rainstorm to vote in Albuquerque city elections. She was turned away and told she could not vote because she was not carrying a valid photo ID.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4oH7TnoCSs
Albuquerque made goverment-issued photo ID mandatory to vote in 2008. The ACLU of New Mexico mounted a successful challenge to the law that was subsequently overturned on appeal.
Geer Wissel & Levy, PA
Once again, ACLU, you expose your Progressive agenda.
Everyone needs an ID to do many things, like buying alcohol or applying for government assistance. You want stuff, you get a legal ID. It’s really quite simple.
And yet, not for voting? The hypocrisy and uneducated position of your staff is astounding.
And let’s all face it. Democrats depend on the votes of minorities for whom you need to exploit to get votes. Logic and reason are not enough, so your desperation to get unlawful votes is obvious, and well-documented.
Requiring an ID is not voter suppression. This is simple logic, and yes, any judge or politician that rules against this is outing themselves as utterly uneducated, totally biased towards the Progressive agenda, and an enemy of the People.
Comments?
I am sure those who advocated for the poll tax used the same “logic and reason”. There is a tax for alcohol after all, why not voting? You want stuff, you pay a tax. And our desperation to get Black votes is why we wanted to do away with the poll tax, so that we could get unlawful untaxed votes.
Now do you see how your “logic and reason” can suppress votes as it did with the poll tax?
Perhaps you are not a resident of Albuquerque, but if you are, do you remember that expensive voter ID measure that was passed in 2005 that cost millions and did not effectively reduce voter fraud? Consider this “logic and reason”: Is it really worth it deny someone the ability to vote provisionally and verify their identity later?
Rosalie,
First, I fail to see how “progressive” is an insult, but you clearly intend it to be. Whatever. I am, despite and perhaps also because of the opinion of anti-diversity vote-suppresors like you, a very proud progressive indeed.
What’s interesting is that the forces that are being proactive here are those working to suppress voter turn-out, so rather than accuse the ACLU, which, for your information, has defended Rush Limbaugh’s civil liberties along with those you cluelessly, ungratefully enjoy, why don’t you ask yourself why the GOP and its allies are working so very, very hard to have voter I.D. legislation passed?
Here’s why: Because when people of any stripe vote, Republicans lose. Why? Because they have nothing but themselves and their allies in mind when they cast their votes. And the rest of us have come through terrible trial and tribulation to realize this. So the fact is, there’s just one party here with an agenda–the GOP. The ACLU is merely responding the way any red-blooded American organization should. By working to ensure that we ALL have a voice in OUR fragile democracy.
How is ensuring that minorities (women, the elderly, people of color, the LGBT community) vote “un-” or “anti-American,” exactly? I’d argue the very opposite is true. And the really worrisome agenda is the one that seeks to suppress the voices of the many diverse individuals who make up this strong, beautiful country.
It sounds to me like you’d prefer it if only members of the Klan and your country club had a say. I call that fascism. And I do intend that as an insult. I call that anti-Democratic. And quite frankly, I think you and your ilk are the racists destroying America who need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourselves just what it is your fighting for. Participatory democracy? Clearly not. What is wrong with you, and how do you sleep at night?
You and your kind are the enemies of democracy. Not those who work to ensure that every American citizen has the right to vote. And racism is the very definition of ignorance.
Hate on the ACLU all you want. You’ve simply exposed yourself as the real enemy of the PEOPLE (notice there’s no “white” in front of that word–especially not in the U.S. Constitution, which you might want to read some time.) Voter fraud has been shown over and over and over again to be a miniscule problem at best. The real problem is people like you, who think only certain people should be allowed to exercise their rights.
I’d suggest you educate yourself, because you’re the one who’s lacking. Look into voter fraud on a NON-partisan web site like factcheck.org. Then look into those disenfranchised by these disgusting, Jim Crow-esque I.D. laws. Did you not hear about the group of (white, elderly) nuns who couldn’t vote because their faith disallowed them from obtaining I.D.?
You sicken me, and I’m only glad you’re so vastly outnumbered by good Americans who believe that more, rather than less, participation in our democracy works to all our benefit.
Rosalie, the issue is not simply an ID, it’s a photo ID, something many elderly and minority folks don’t have and would often have difficulty getting. And what’s wrong with a progressive agenda, Rosalie? What are you trying to imply? Democrats aren’t trying to exploit minorities as you say, Democrats are trying to help everyone exercise their constitutional rights. I think that you and others like you are the uneducated ones and the true enemies of the People.
Hmmm… What if you consider yourself part of “the People” and you think a “progress” agenda is just what will serve us? Additionally, what if you find that democrats are just as corrupt as republicans and find neither to really uphold progressive ideals? I guess you just don’t fit into the narrow world view of many Americans. That’s ok, I’m a progressive and I’ll continue to support the ACLU and stand against barriers to voting as my patriotic American duty even if it does benefit people whose world view doesn’t include me.
BTW, you might want to look into the statistics on in person voter fraud. Here’s a hint, it’s virtually non-existence. Voter fraud is rare, but it’s almost exclusively down through the mail, which, oh yeah, doesn’t require mailing in a copy of your drivers license. Those in the know (including the ACLU) understand that this is about voter disenfranchisement, pure and simple. Who cares if this helps the Democratic party over the Republican party, are we supposed to rest on our laurels and expect either of these parties to always act in our best interests? No, that’s why you vote, and remain active (no matter who wins).
You compare the need for photo ID for buying liquor to the ability to VOTE? Were you ever a kid? Did you ever try to illegally acquire alcohol? Have you heard about any kids faking their age in order to buy drinks? If you’re honest, you know it happens all the time. On the other hand, the comparison of the two is profoundly dishonest. How much evidence of vote fraud has been uncovered across the WHOLE nation? The answer is: virtually none whatsoever. So not only is there no problem needing a solution: the supposed “solution” supresses mainly voters who AREN’T from the far right. (I will readily admit mine is a progessive position. Does that make it less true?) One side of this whole argument is being DISHONEST!
I would say that if you want people to have a photo ID to vote then you must provide the photo ID for free. It’s rather simple that way, you require a photo ID to do many things, all of which you aren’t constitutionally guaranteed to be able to do, so sure charge for that ID. When it come to voting don’t require me to pay for an ID that I may or may not be able to afford.
Why is it that angry people never seem to do the minimal work of reading the studies? In Voter Registration studies it is beyond question that photo ID requirements exclude minorities for a variety of reasons and people with disabilities who can not drive. Now though I can rest assured that Katy doesn’t drink alcohol and makes a sober voter.
You entitled your video “voter supression”… That is hogwash. Requiring proof of citizenship in no way suppresses voters. The only people against voters being required to show legitimate identification at the polls are those trying to cultivate votes from illegal voters. How stupid do you think we are?
You should change your title to “voter fraud” because that is what showing proper identification at the voting booth will prevent.
Only American citizens are allowed to vote in American elections and I think they should have to pass a test to prove they know enough about how our political system works before being allowed to vote. Allowing ignorant voters in the booth is how we got into trouble in the first place. I think we should be required to prove that we are registered voters before exercising our right to be a part of the best government in the history of the world.
Katy will no doubt, bring her ID card next time – unless she is one of those “ignorant voters” that have no business picking the leaders of the free world.
What happened to Katy Sheridan is not democracy at work. As Myanmar (Burma) seems to be taking steps toward democracy, it appears that many in the USA would like the USA to become Myanmar.
When a woman has been voting for the past 48 years she is personally identified by the polli workers. If she is refused after all these years, that is harassment and discrimination