Supreme Court strikes down Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to vote

[merithyn]

And good luck if you're 79 years old and the Bumfuck County Courthouse in East Bumfuck, Alabama, burned down in the great fire of '47, taking all those records with it.

My friend's mom is 71 years old, and that happened to her in rural Illinois. She needed to petition the state to get a new birth certificate made for her, which took upwards of two years of establishing that she existed.

But see, that's not really a hassle anymore than any other hassle.

Luckily, she was white. Can you imagine how hard it would have been had she been Mexican?

[derspiess]

[fhdz]

That's actually true, dude.

[Berkut]

Berkut:

I disagree.  A five dollar fee for a non-driver ID or a half day to track down a birth certificate increases the hassle of voting, just as having to register is a hassle, or just as showing up at a polling station is a hassle.

Why increase the hassle at all if there isn't any evidence that there is a problem that said hassle would solve?

[Berkut]

You can tell this is a 100% political move.

Just look at the break down of support for all these various "Protect the Vote" efforts. It is consistently nearly 100% Republican. That isn't some bizarre coincidence.

What is sad is that it really does show how little most people actually care about individual rights.

[derspiess]

That's actually true, dude.

I guess it is.  Probably also a good thing she wasn't Zimbabwean.

[Admiral Yi]

Why increase the hassle at all if there isn't any evidence that there is a problem that said hassle would solve?

Good question.  If you go back and read my post that started this flurry, you'll notice I wasn't advocating for proof of citizenship laws.  I was merely pointing out the flaw in asserting that the problem being addressed is tiny.

It may be tiny, it may be huge.  It may be huge yet the cost of the cure is still not worth it.

I don't get the Mexican birth certificate thing.  Are we talking about a citizen or an illegal?

[Valmy]

I guess it is.  Probably also a good thing she wasn't Zimbabwean.

Eh most people do not get irrationally suspicious of black folks being illegal immigrants unless they have some sort of crazy accent.

Anyway if we are going to do something like this we first need to implement a federal system that quickly verifies people's citizenship at the polls at no cost or effort on their part.  If the Republicans implemented such a system then I think we could all agree they were acting in good faith on this.  Of course such a system would not benefit them politically in anyway...

[merithyn]

I don't get the Mexican birth certificate thing.  Are we talking about a citizen or an illegal?

I was saying that my friend's mom spent two years trying to prove who she was so that she could get a replacement birth certificate. As a white woman, it was considered relatively easy. Had she been of Mexican descent, however, it probably would have been a good bit harder.

[merithyn]

Eh most people do not get irrationally suspicious of black folks being illegal immigrants unless they have some sort of crazy accent.

Anyway if we are going to do something like this we first need to implement a federal system that quickly verifies people's citizenship at the polls at no cost or effort on their part.  If the Republicans implemented such a system then I think we could all agree they were acting in good faith on this.  Of course such a system would not benefit them politically in anyway...

Exactly.

[Admiral Yi]

Had she been of Mexican descent, however, it probably would have been a good bit harder.

How so?

[CountDeMoney]

Had she been of Mexican descent, however, it probably would have been a good bit harder.

How so?

Accents raise suspicions.

[KRonn]

They're not saying such a requirement would be necessarily unconstitutional. They're just saying that federal law preempts the states from adding additional requirements. If federal law changed, that could change too.

That's my understanding also. And apparently some in Congress are moving to make changes to the law. You need to be a citizen to vote, so it shouldn't be an onerous burden to show citizenship, birth certificate, or what ever else qualifies, like maybe even a driver's license in most states.

Why make it harder for people to vote with ostensibly no gain?

US laws are that you need to be a citizen to vote. I think that's probably true in most countries. Yeah, it may take some effort for some to get a birth certificate or other proof, so I don't know what can be done about that.

[Grey Fox]

That's actually true, dude.

I guess it is.  Probably also a good thing she wasn't Zimbabwean.

That would not have been possible. Rhodesian maybe.

[garbon]

They're not saying such a requirement would be necessarily unconstitutional. They're just saying that federal law preempts the states from adding additional requirements. If federal law changed, that could change too.

That's my understanding also. And apparently some in Congress are moving to make changes to the law. You need to be a citizen to vote, so it shouldn't be an onerous burden to show citizenship, birth certificate, or what ever else qualifies, like maybe even a driver's license in most states.

Why make it harder for people to vote with ostensibly no gain?

US laws are that you need to be a citizen to vote. I think that's probably true in most countries. Yeah, it may take some effort for some to get a birth certificate or other proof, so I don't know what can be done about that.

I'd suggest doing nothing as why enact a cure when you don't have evidence that a problem is occurring?