A number of facts should be brought forward in response to this post (about which more later) but just as a preliminary matter, Mr. Torchinsky's first point assumes that these particular voters HAVE some government issued photo identification other than their VA cards. If a voter doesn't drive and doesn't have a passport, and no other gov issued photo I'd, the Indiana voter cannot vote by provisional ballot or in any other way. It certainlu seems that such a voter has been disenfranchised. Further, why should a voter who showed photo identification in order to register, and is lawfully registered, have to make a special trip to a county office to validate his or her provisional ballot? As a practical matter is that not a form of disenfranchisement in itself?
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-----Original Message-----
From: "Jason Torchinsky" <JTorchinsky@Holtzmanlaw.net>
Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 09:08:25
To:<election-law@majordomo.lls.edu>
Subject: RE: Telling real world consequences of Indiana voter id law
According to this article, these un-named veterans refused to exercise their rights under IN law to cast a provisional ballot and return within a number of days to present an ID qualified under the law. These veterans were not prevented from voting Ð they CHOSE not to exercise the rights available to them under the law. The law did not ÒdisenfranchiseÓ them. When you talk about partisan positioning, it was, according to this article, Democratic voters in Florida who in 2000 sought to have actually cast military ballots prevented from being counted: http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/12/11/recount.military/index.html Also, the recent articles in Missouri indicate that the state estimates that, at most, 170,000 people in the state over age 18 do not have state issued drivers licenses. That number does not consider how many of these individuals are registered, eligible to register, or have other forms of state or federal ID permitted under the proposed MO law. - Jason !
---------------- From: owner-election-law_gl@majordomo.lls.edu [mailto:owner-election-law_gl@majordomo.lls.edu] On Behalf Of Joe Sandler Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 3:30 PM To: election-law@majordomo.lls.edu Subject: Telling real world consequences of Indiana voter id law Maybe the defenders of the Indiana and similar voter id laws would like to explain to these veterans, who are lawfully eligible, registered voters, why itÕs okay that theyÕre not allowed entitled to exercise, as citizens, as lawfully, registered, eligible voters, the fundamental right to voteÑone of the very American rights for which they and/or their fellow vets laid their lives on the line. This despicable right wing Republican effort to disenfranchise millions of legally eligible voters moved even further along yesterday with the passage of a photo id law in the Missouri House. Refusal of vets' IDs leads to hard feelings at polls By Rebecca S. Green The Journal Gazette One aspect of Tuesday!
's primary election troubles DeKalb County Clerk Jackie Rowan.!
Her voi
ce trembled as she described having to turn away a handful of veterans who tried to use their Veterans Administration medical cards as the required photo identification. Rowan said the veterans became upset, refusing to cast provisional ballots, when she explained to them they could not use identification that did not have an expiration date or a stamp indicating that it never expired. "(It was) bad," she said. "They all accused us of not wanting them to vote. "I feel their pain. They served in the service for us, and they worked hard and paid taxes." Officials with Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita's office said they had not heard many complaints about veterans' identification. "The law is pretty explicit that IDs need a name, a photo, and an expiration date," said A.J. Feeney-Ruiz, Rokita's press secretary. Rowan said she reminded the veterans that they could vote using a provisional ballot as long as they brought in a valid ID by May 12, but she said most of them ref!
used that. "That was probably one of our biggest issues yesterday . the military ID," she said. A few counties reported similar problems but the numbers were few, no more than five or six. But Rowan worries the same problem could crop up again in November's general election. "When (state officials) said a military ID with an expiration date, they may have known what they were talking about," Rowan said. "But I'm not sure it was explained well enough that Veterans Administration cards would not work." rgreen@jg.net Joseph E Sandler Sandler Reiff & Young PC 50 E St SE # 300 Washington, D.C. 20003 Tel: (202) 479 1111 Fax (202) 479-1115 Cell (202) 607 0700 This message is intended only for the use of the intended addressee and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you have received this message in error, please immediately delete it from your system and notify us via email or telephone 202.479.1111. IRS Circular 230 Di!
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