The incidence of actual voter fraud at the polls in America is indistinguishable from zero. Basically, it just doesn’t happen. But that hasn’t stopped conservative states from eagerly passing voter ID laws anyway, and Texas is in the vanguard. Oddly, though, they’ve decided there ought to be an exception in the new law they’re considering:
In 2009, they were talking about requiring photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID; the 2011 bill does not have that non-photo ID option. It does, however, have an exemption from the
photo ID requirement for those who are at least 70 years old at the start of 2012 and who have their voter-registration card when they go to vote.
Hmmm. Why make an exception for old people? The answer, obviously, is that lots of senior citizens don’t have driver’s licenses, and if they have to go to the trouble of getting a state ID card just to vote, they might decide not to bother. In other words, the photo ID requirement would create an artificial obstacle to voting among a group of perfectly law-abiding citizens.
It’s good to see Texas Republicans tacitly admitting that. It’s an excellent point, after all. There are other groups this applies to, though: students, poor people, and minorities, for example. But no exemption for them! I wonder why. What could possibly be the difference between senior citizens and these other groups? It’s a poser, isn’t it?1
1Kay Steiger provides the answer at the link, which is where I stole my snark from in the first place.
POSTSCRIPT: And just for the record, I’ve long supported a national voter ID card, aka a national identity card. See here and here for more.
