Quote:In a lot of cities Latinos and other minorities are much more likely to not have ID than blacks and whites. By very large percentages actually. The issue isn't with requiring the ID, it's in making it relatively easy to obtain one.

 

The vast majority of DMV's do not have extended hours. So if you are a full time worker it makes it difficult to get out there and wait half a day or more to get one. Assuming you can even afford to take time off from work to do it in the first place. There is also potential costs involved in getting a DL, possibly a reason why a lot don't have one. I am sure you can see how people in this position would just not be able to do it or be frustrated enough to not do it. 

 

As anecdotal evidence of how hard it can be to get ID, when I moved to Oregon from Florida (with a valid FL driver's license) it took me well over two months to get my ODL after passing the test here. My social security card and FL DL was not enough they wanted my birth certificate and no the one my mother could not email it to me so she mailed it to me. That was not good enough because they needed a sealed copy from the state of Florida. The whole process took an absurd amount of time. Now imagine I needed this ID in a month because laws were changing right before election time and I did not have the luxury of taking time off work like I did to make all the phone calls and the multiple trips to the DMV. Obviously this is just my personal experience. 

 

I don't think people are really against requiring ID in general. I think most people, like I do, question the motive behind it and the timing in some cases of trying to push them through right before elections. It's not to prevent fraud (of which there has been none). I think it's very clearly meant to disenfranchise people by making it harder to cast their vote do to having to jump through hoops of government.  I think ID is a reasonable requirement. If the laws are going to be pushed let's put it into action when there are not elections going on to give people plenty of time to get them if they don't have them. I think that's reasonable.

 

With the way you jump at a lot of conspiracy type theories I am surprised you don't at least recognize the possibility the laws are being pushed for non-altruistic purposes. 

 

Having an ID has just always been apart of life for me. I've never lived outside of Florida, got a license when I was 16 and any time I've had to change it, I do it online. That's why I ask what's the issue with ID. You made some valid points I hadn't heard anyone make about the issue. I can see how it could be a problem for some of the disadvantaged. I'd be fine with making it a requirement with a grace period of even a couple of years to get it done.

 

Honestly I'm not even crazy about an ID law, it doesn't do anything to improve the quality of our elections, for me the problem is the amount of people participating it's the amount of people that ignorantly participate.

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