Now In Danger, Your Right To Vote

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

By the Too Sense afrosphere blog, via the Afrosphere Associated Press (AAP)

The news that the Supreme Court is going to consider the constitutionality of certain voter ID laws is anything but good, given the court's current political makeup.

The Supreme Court said yesterday that it will consider whether state laws requiring voters to present photo identification at polling places unfairly discriminate against the poor and minorities, injecting the justices into a fiercely partisan battle just before the 2008 elections.

Just in time to give the GOP an advantage by ruling as constitutional laws that have been consistently shown to discourage minority voting. Voter fraud, which these laws are meant to prevent, has been found not to be widespread, which calls into question the Supreme Court's decision to review the case. How is reviewing these laws urgent, except in light of an upcoming election in which polls consistently show the Republican Party at a disadvantage? From an April 2007 article in the NYT:

A federal panel responsible for conducting election research played down the findings of experts who concluded last year that there was little voter fraud around the nation, according to a review of the original report obtained by The New York Times.

[...]

And two weeks ago, the panel faced criticism for refusing to release another report it commissioned concerning voter identification laws. That report, which was released after intense pressure from Congress, found that voter identification laws designed to fight fraud can reduce turnout, particularly among members of minorities.

The previous Supreme Court had no problem making Bush president by judicial fiat in 2000. Imagine how far this court will go to give an advantage to the Republican Party.

By dnA.