SC Voter ID Law: My Thoughts - October 21, 2011

Not quite so long ago, the State of South Carolina passed a Voter ID Law that requires voters to show valid identification when coming to vote. It seems simple enough, doesn't it. After all, what's the big deal, right?

And then the naysayers started. According to The South Carolina Election Commission, who decided to look at the problems concerning this new law, the precients with the largest number of voters not allowed to cast a ballot due to not having ID, were generally areas with a large non-white population and most specifically in areas where there were a large number of black college students.

South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian issued a statement saying that this new law "is disenfranchising huge groups of people who don't have the money to go get an ID card". MSNBC Commentator Chris Matthews took it a step farther on his show, "Hardball", where he accused SC Governor Nikki Haley (R) of being out of touch and then compared the new Voter ID law to Jim Crow era racism, stating "There have been complaints by many South Carolinians that the law [requiring citizens to show photo identification at the polls] will effectively end up disenfranchising many traditionally Democratic supporters in the state."

It just goes on and on and on as cries of racism and voter supression ring out all across the land. It's not fair to make the 80 year old Grandma show ID to vote. It's not fair to force these people, who are in bad health and on fixed incomes go down and get a valid picture ID. It's not fair that these students, who are hard at work trying to study and learn and prepare for their futures, to force them to go down and get an ID card. It's all discrimination and voter supression. It's racist.

I'm calling it right now. Bullcrap!

If these allegedly supressed voters want to write a check, they have to show ID. If they want to open an account at a bank or withdraw money from a bank account, they have to show ID. If they want to buy a pack of cigarettes or buy a six pack of beer, they have to show an ID. If they have a job, they're required by law to show ID before being hired. If they drive, they have to have a license which is (surprise) a picture ID. If they want to get married, they have to show an ID. If they apply for Food Stamps or unemployment benefits or disability or Medicare or any kind of Government aid, they have to show an ID. If they want to open any kind of account anywhere or rent a home or buy a car or buy insurance or be admitted into a hospital, people have to show an ID.

Let me guess. All of those things are voter supression and racist too, right?

Showing an ID is just a simple fact of life and unless you don't drive, don't have a bank account, don't pay bills, don't have an income or job, don't visit doctor's offices, don't drink and don't smoke and have no contact of any kind with the real world, you will be required at some point in your life to have a valid ID card. That's just how it is and anyone who claims otherwise is just far more out of touch than Chris Matthews seems to feel SC Governor Haley allegedly is.

If you're going to vote in SC, be prepared to show an ID. If you can't show an ID, as you aleady do for so many other purposes in daily life, then you don't deserve the right to vote. It not disenfranchising or racist. It's just the way things are in order to prevent voter fraud and non-citizens from attempting to vote. It might be inconvenient, but so what? Life gets that way sometimes and it's about time that all of these rabble-rousers claiming "racism" at every drop of a hat wise up and learn this.

Thank you,