Obtaining your Rights!

Some of you might have seen that today I've been sporadic in here (or rather yesterday, it's 3 AM here) because I was doing homework. Surprise surprise (those of you that know me from other groups) it sparked an idea for a discussion ! I thought this would be an ideal group discussion for this forum- so here it goes. ^^


"Is preventing election fraud worth the hassle to voters in getting an ID? The answer depends on how much inconvenience is involved. Although all states that require a photo ID to vote provide them for free, voters may find it difficult and costly to obtain the necessary underlying identification, such as a copy of a birth certificate. People with disabilities may be particularly burdened by such laws because of the need to travel to a government office. For some Amish, Mennonites, Muslims, Native Americans, and fundamentalist Christians, posing for photographs is discouraged." (Underhill, 2011)

For some people there is a belief (most of us will chalk it up to be superstition) that taking one's photo captures part or all of your soul and imprisons it there. So it got me wondering- how far outside of your inner convictions are you willing to go to obtain the rights afforded to you within your government?

Underhill, W. (2011, July). Proof at the polls. State Legislatures, 37(7), 58-60.

This is entirely circumstantial. If, with your example, I think that voting outweighs my dislike of obtaining ID then I will obtain ID...

If the law said I couldn't be a Jedi then I would still be a Jedi...

Is there a scale you can provide about which issues challenge one's convictions? Or further example cases?

Most people resign to the fact that the government is going to do what they want....

If I didn't want The government to have my pic, there are other ways to effect change..

Sharing knowledge through the internet, mass mailings, rallys..

Voting at the polls is not the only way to show your displeasure...

But to answer your question in my typical fashion:

Is preventing election fraud worth the hassle to voters in getting an ID?

Who am I to say whether it is too big of a hassle for others?

If against my beliefs? No hassle at all... Im not going to bother to vote...

Voting is only what sparked the question, but you can use anything. Say that you are firmly against abortion and refuse to aide a healthcare program which pays for abortion operations. Under a some law (hypothetically speaking) it states that all healthcare programs are required to offer abortion in their plans, and another requires you to have healthcare. The example can be anything you like.

I do not believe it is unreasonable to require someone to provide an ID to vote. You must show and ID for employment, you must show an ID to open a bank account, you must show an ID to apply for public assistance etc etc

Most states require you to be able to provide your identity with a government issued ID...

And really as Americans we have a right to own a gun.. they require me to show ID to buy a gun, which is no less a right then it is to vote.

so really it is not unreasonable to require an ID for voting purposes.

The whole purpose behind regulating voting is to disenfranchise certain people. People who don't have IDs are usually homeless, poor, or don't like IDs. The amount of voter fraud in the US is probably .0000000000000000000001%. So ask yourself why this issue is front and center? Why aren't we talking about the fact that you are 8x more likely to be killed by a police officer than a terrorist? What about inequality? Nuclear waste? Climate change? etc

Perhaps where you live it is as low as that. But here in Southern California where about 25% of all Illegal Immigrants in the US live.. it is estimates that about 7.5% of the population is illegal.. 7.5% may not seem like alot.. .. 7.5% is a large number when you figure that 40% of Americans do not vote.





http://www.laalmanac.com/immigration/im04a.htm

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/49701718/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/why-percent-americans-wont-vote/

I come from a country where IDs are mandatory, whether we want to vote or not. all they ask us to provide is 2 pictures and a proof of address. It's done at the town hall, it's free and so is the birth certificate. I really don't think of it as a big deal and ID cards are quite useful.

I agree with the sentiment that it's not a big deal.

In the US you need an id to buy booze, medicine, do your banking, drive, to buy R-rated movies, travel outside the country (passport), and many other things. So, why should voting be any different? I mean, it's just what we use to elect the leaders of our country...no biggy.

And the process to get a state id is not too much of a hassle, and anyone can do it. You only need one id (though maybe it varies from state to state) either your SS Card, Birth Cert. (which are easy to get. I had to get a copy for my passport and it was a cinch...all done by mail), or your passport. And then two documents that prove you live in whatever state you live in such as a water or gas bill...and I'm sure most of us have those. If you don't have any of that, there are always ways to work around it. And then the id is usually like ten bucks.

Of note, the article above cites all of that leg work as being too costly for some people to obtain, which I found interesting since I had to go through all of it to get my own license and O didn't see it as too big a deal. But some people live paycheck to paycheck, so I guess it might might be more difficult than I percoeve it.