The Georgia governor's race has drawn lots of attention from individuals across the country. The current Secretary of State of Georgia, Brian Kemp, is facing Stacey Abrams who hopes to become the first black female governor. With this race, the controversial voter ID "exact match" law has sent much of the population of Georgia into a frenzy.
The "exact match" law flags voter's who have discrepancies between their registration and other identification documents used by the state of Georgia. These discrepancies can include small changes in punctuation such as hyphens and accent marks. Individuals who fail to have an exact match can still vote if they can prove their identity to a deputy registrar. Recently, civil rights groups filed a lawsuit stating that this voter ID law discriminates against many of the minority voters, especially blacks. But, others, including GOP candidate Brian Kemp, believe this law is essential for voter ID integrity.
Just this Friday (11/2), Judge Eleanor Ross ruled that this law was unfair and placed a severe burden on minority individuals. Ultimately, the Court was concerned with the treatment of certain sectors within the state of Georgia. This ruling established the following: poll workers had to allow any citizen the right to vote in Georgia (they had to present proof of citizenship) and Kemp had to make a news release that helped those who were previously flagged become un-flagged. According to the Associated Press, under the "exact match" law Brian Kemp had stalled more than 50,000 voter registrations by mostly black voters. With the prohibition of the exact match, the Court hopes that voter discrimination will decrease.
This controversial election and voter ID news has drawn attention from many, including Oprah Winfrey and Donald Trump. Voter ID laws continue to impact other states as some vouch for them and others greatly disapprove.
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/03/663937578/judge-rules-against-georgia-election-law-calling-it-a-severe-burden-for-voters
https://www.jurist.org/news/2018/11/federal-judge-blocks-georgia-exact-match-voter-id-law/
Questions:
1. How would democracy shift if all voter ID laws were abolished? Would this help or hurt the integrity of our country?
2. Can voter ID laws determine the outcome of elections (candidates chosen)? If so, how?
Voter Id laws have and will continue to be a big issue. On one hand, there is a small number of voter fraud in the US and many raise points that although it may be a small number, we should value stopping illegal activity. For this reason, it can be argued that the increase in voter Id checks would help the integrity of our country. However, it should also hurt our democracy. Whilw hurting illegal voting, it also makes it harder for low income voters to vote. With voter turnout becoming increasingly low, discouraging voters is not good if we wish to increase democracy. If this means having a small amount of people voting illegally, I would say it is a fine price to pay.
ReplyDelete2. Yes they can. A large portion of the democratic voter base is low income minorities. If voter id laws are to be passed, it would hurt those people and most likely result in a decrease on democratic candidates elected.
-Democracy would shift because a huge portion of the population will not be able to be represented. Voter ID laws usually restrict minority vote. It would hurt the integrity of this country because the vote would not accurately represent the countries population.
ReplyDelete-yes they can, this is because it would prevent people from being able to vote and give their say in the elections. Overall, democracy would not be as strong as it would be with everyone voting.
1. Many argue that eliminating voter ID laws with jeopardize the integrity of the election process because the small number of people who commit voter ID crimes make a difference. However, in my opinion the elimination of voter ID laws or less harsh voter ID laws will ultimately help the integrity of our country by giving every individual a fair chance to vote and get their voice heard.
ReplyDelete2. Yes, voter ID laws can impact the outcomes of elections because in their nature they prevent people from being able to vote. For example often lower income minorities vote for democrats get targeted by voter ID laws. Thus, democratic candidates have less of a fair chance for winning the election.
Sophia McMaster
ReplyDelete1. If all voter ID laws were abolished, those committing voter ID fraud and minorities would not be able to vote. These people make a significant difference in the outcome of the elections and it would become more difficult for them to vote.
2. Yes, voter ID laws can determine the outcome of elections because they stop a certain demographic of people from voting. Minorities who typically vote Democrat, would not be fairly represented.
Voter ID laws are a very obvious shot at the right of minority groups to vote. Despite the fact that people justify the need for voter ID laws and other regulatory measure such as the "perfect match" law as necessary to prevent voter fraud, the fact of the matter is that the unconstitutionality of targeting minority groups and taking away the rights of tens of thousands of people of color outweighs the slight risk of increasing voter fraud.
ReplyDelete1. If voter ID laws were abolished, it would destroy the integrity of democracy. Although they are somewhat controversial because they can limit who’s opinion gets heard, I believe they are still needed as a deterrent against voter fraud. The demographics of voting would shift towards minorities who are usually targeted by voter ID laws. Also, more low-income individuals would vote, although they usually do not vote for other reasons than a lack of voter ID.
ReplyDelete2. Yes, voter ID laws can affect the outcome of an election. Minorities are the ones who suffer from voter ID laws, and they are largely Democratic.
1. If all voter ID laws were abolished, democracy would expand. Voter ID laws tend to prevent minorities from voting, as they are less likely to have the ID’s necessary to vote. By doing away with these laws, minorities will have a less difficult time voting. This would ultimately help the integrity of our country, because our representatives would be chosen by a wider range of people. Our leaders would no longer be chosen by only the majority (who have more access to required voter ID’s).
ReplyDelete2. Voter ID laws can determine the outcome of elections. They encourage the election of white candidates, as voter ID laws mostly target African Americans. By suppressing the African American vote, African American candidates are less likely to win elections.
1. Democracy will shift almost directly in a direction that would be more inclusive. For some it is hard for them to obtain identification, and by taking away voter ID laws, it is making it easier for a substantial number of people to be able to vote.
ReplyDelete2. Yes, because a large portion of minorities don't have access to identification.
1. Democracy would shift if voter ID laws were abolished because while it would decrease the amount of voter fraud, it would also decrease the amount of people who have a low income from voting, which could affect election results. Because it would make it harder to commit voter fraud, it would help the integrity of our country.
ReplyDelete2. As said earlier, less people of low income and minorities vote due to the requirement of ID. Because people of these descriptions tend to be more liberal, it can change the results of elections.
^Jessica Masterson
Delete1. If Voter ID Laws were abolished, you would see a huge decrease in minority voters. Since it's more difficult for minorities to vote, elections can be skewed towards a certain bias.
ReplyDelete2. Voter ID Laws can determine the outcome of elections. If minorities aren't able to vote because of the removal of Voter ID Laws, certain parties may be at a disadvantage.
1. Voter Id laws would defintley shif the democracy. The amount of minorities voting would increase because it is often difficult for those groups to have any form of identification
ReplyDelete2.Yes ID laws can defintly determine the outcome of an election. One issue that has been a slight problem has been voter fraud, and this is something that can be a determining factor for election.
1. By getting rid of Voter ID laws, minority voting would increase because those that do not have access to those forms of identification will be able to vote. In addition, since majority of minorities are democrats, the democratic voter would definitely shift in a way where democrats have a bigger audience.
ReplyDelete2. yes because minorities make up a large population of our country