# I Pit the ID-demanding GOP vote-suppressors (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 12, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943 "2012-06-12T19:15:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 205
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4081 "2014-05-12T04:23:55Z")
Oh, look! He’s talking utter bullshit again! How cute! _retch_ ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4082 "2014-05-12T05:26:52Z")
Hey, whatever rationalizations you need to look in the mirror. Voting is haarrrddddd… It’s a violation of people’s civil rights if they have to do it on Tuesday, in person. Wahhhhh!!! We keep on losing because our voters can’t stumble out of bed before noon, sober up, and head down to the precinct. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4083 "2014-05-12T05:44:07Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Democracy depends on an informed and motivated citizenry. Democrats are engaged in a concerted effort to mobilize the uninformed and unmotivated. Where do you stand on the issue of literacy tests? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4084 "2014-05-12T05:46:41Z")
This is what your side has to deal with every year. The West Wing helpfully played it for laughs: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HMn2s1nmsxQ/hqdefault.jpg "Election NIght - The West Wing") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMn2s1nmsxQ) Literacy tests? I don’t favor them. The actual act of voting is a sufficient literacy test. If a person cannot find an address, if a person cannot read his ballot, or if he couldn’t fill out his registration form in the first place, then that person is already prevented from voting. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4085 "2014-05-12T06:38:58Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Hey, whatever rationalizations you need to look in the mirror. Voting is haarrrddddd… It’s a violation of people’s civil rights if they have to do it on Tuesday, in person. Wahhhhh!!! We keep on losing because our voters can’t stumble out of bed before noon, sober up, and head down to the precinct. Anger gets people to the polls. And most Republicans are angry because of the nonsense lies they’ve been told by their media. Much of what you, Adaher know is simply not true. You’re a gullible dupe. Also, poor people have less free time and mobility, so of course the party that caters to the better off will have more turnout. In any case, more people voting is a good thing. That you think different shows you’re not a particularly good person. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4086 "2014-05-12T06:46:33Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Literacy tests? I don’t favor them. The actual act of voting is a sufficient literacy test. If a person cannot find an address, if a person cannot read his ballot, or if he couldn’t fill out his registration form in the first place, then that person is already prevented from voting. So informed enough to be able to write their name. That explains a lot, actually. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4087 "2014-05-12T06:51:14Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Anger gets people to the polls. And most Republicans are angry because of the nonsense lies they’ve been told by their media. Much of what you, Adaher know is simply not true. You’re a gullible dupe. > > Also, poor people have less free time and mobility, so of course the party that caters to the better off will have more turnout. > > In any case, more people voting is a good thing. That you think different shows you’re not a particularly good person. Nice rationalizations, again, plus it gives you a sense of moral superiority. Congratulations. More people voting is a good thing, I agree. If they are doing it of their own free will, and knowing what they are voting for(or at least thinking they know). When you’ve got large numbers of people who just don’t care, it doesn’t serve democracy to drag their asses to the polls and instruct them to vote Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4088 "2014-05-12T07:01:05Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Nice rationalizations, again, plus it gives you a sense of moral superiority. Congratulations. I don’t think I’m better than you, except at assessing when I’m told lies. > [@](#): > > More people voting is a good thing, I agree. If they are doing it of their own free will, and knowing what they are voting for(or at least thinking they know). When you’ve got large numbers of people who just don’t care, it doesn’t serve democracy to drag their asses to the polls and instruct them to vote Democrat. Even people you don’t like get a say. You’d rather make it harder to vote so fewer people do it, I get it. You want to win, and fear failure, so you change the rules. I get it. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4089 "2014-05-12T07:05:26Z")
Most of the rule changes have come from Democrats, in an effort to boost turnout among their base. Back when the Democrats were the party of the working man, they had no need for this. Since they became the party of the non-working man, they now find themselves with a base that either doesn’t want to vote or can’t vote without major assistance. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4090 "2014-05-12T07:10:58Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Most of the rule changes have come from Democrats, in an effort to boost turnout among their base. > > Back when the Democrats were the party of the working man, they had no need for this. Since they became the party of the non-working man, they now find themselves with a base that either doesn’t want to vote or can’t vote without major assistance. Poor people have less free time and mobility. Of course the poor vote less. Especially when you cut down extra voting days and make it harder. So keep repeating your lies to motivate others via misplaced anger. Since you can’t compete honestly, it’s all you have. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4091 "2014-05-12T07:12:02Z")
Says the side that wants to reduce the amount of speech during elections so that their voters might not get the wrong ideas. The poor have less free time? The problem is that they have MORE, not less. People with jobs have trouble voting, yet have always managed. the poverty rate among full time workers is 2.9%. There is no epidemic of poor working folks who don’t have time to vote. The majority of those who live in poverty are not full time workers and thus have plenty of time on their hands. The reason they don’t vote is the same reason they don’t fill out job applications. > **[The War on Poverty Turns 50: Why Aren't We Winning?](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/the-war-on-poverty-turns-50-why-arent-we-winning/282832/)** > > Half a century after LBJ's famous declaration, poverty remains stubbornly high. It's not just the evolution of the low-wage economy; it's the devolution of the two-parent household. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4092 "2014-05-12T07:50:14Z")
Heck, maybe the Koch Brother’s are totally sincere, maybe they have studied on it for a while, and come to the conclusion that the human species bites the bag, and should be phased out. That would explain their enthusiasm for global warming, maybe a firm commitment to opening up an evolutionary opportunity for the cockroaches or the ants. So, OK, they want to wipe out humanity. Least they aren’t lazy. Or hypocrites. That would be bad. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4093 "2014-05-12T07:55:55Z")
Climate change is going to wipe out the human race now? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4094 "2014-05-12T08:26:27Z")
Those pictures of people standing on line for hours and hours to vote. You saw them, surely. Think those pictures were faked? A big con job to make it look like the economically disadvantaged have a tougher time voting? And Fox News didn’t catch on? So, OK, that’s the minority of the Dem base, then, the few who are not too lazy, too drunk, or too crippled by STDs to make it to the polls. But last time out, more people voted for Dem candidates for House seats than voted for Republicans. By about a million, IIRC. So, then, only a relatively small proportion of the people who agree with us actually voted, and they _still_ outnumbered the people who agree with you. Gonna leave you with one last name to remember. Custer. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4095 "2014-05-12T08:48:59Z")
And the time before that, more people voted for Republicans than Democrats, by almost FIVE million. Let’s see how much we can run up the score this year. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4096 "2014-05-12T13:30:18Z")
And they had a majority back in 1860, too. So connect those dots with a straight line and you have the official \*\*adaher \*\*prediction for 2016. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4097 "2014-05-12T13:30:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > You know what kind of laws blatantly help Democrats: the myriad of laws in the last two decades making voting easier and easier. The bastards! How dare they? Republicans should make that a campaign issue. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4098 "2014-05-12T13:49:20Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Climate change is going to wipe out the human race now? Not now, but might well eventually. Humanity’s impact on the ecosystem since the Industrial Revolution began already constitutes an [extinction-level event](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction-level_event). ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4099 "2014-05-12T13:49:40Z")
No need. Making voting easier hasn’t actually helped Democrats bring out their voters. Which is why they’ll keep on trying until they’ve made it so people don’t have to vote at all. Register as a Democrat, and your vote will automatically count as being for the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943/4100 "2014-05-12T13:53:33Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Democracy is not helped by cajoling the unmotivated to vote . . . **Of course** it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943.md?page=204) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-id-demanding-gop-vote-suppressors-part-1/624943.md?page=206)