The literacy tests don’t go far enough IMO. Voting should be a privilege not a right. Historical racism be damned. For the most part voting is an exercise in futility as people are generally flipping switches randomly.
I see you’ve never heard of prepaid postage.
Also, every election year several people come to my door to offer to register me, and they are more than happy to turn in the form for me.
But … but … ACORN is bad!
Now, if we forced people to read articles/documents about the candidates and issues, and take an exam to show that they’ve comprehended them, then that’d make more sense than mere literacy.
Yes, very droll. Now, how about answering the question regarding absentee voting and the need for photo ID.
In Peru we use paper ballots and all parties are identified by a multi-colored symbol. In yes/no votes the posibilities have colors. Even illiterate people can hold a pen.
Blind people get the choice of either a family member going with them into the booth or using a braille thingy that tells you where each party is.
About the poll tax, the question asked about preferences, not what is Constitutional, so that 3% might be familiar with the 24th Amendment. I wouldn’t bet on it, though.
IIRC literacy tests were far more than simple reading tests, and often included questions unlikely for poor black people to know. 50 years ago I might see an argument for them in that there is a reasonable desire for voters to be aware of issues, but with TV news today it is very possible to be aware of things without ever picking up a newspaper.
I have no problem with a method in which the poll workers have a graphical image of the signature that was used on the registration, and match that to the signature that the voter completes upon arrival at the polls. No need for an ID card if that system is in place.
That’s exactly the system we have here in NJ, at least in my polling place. No need for a government issued photo ID – problem solved, cheap and easy!
Back to the literacy test – I think of a literacy test as a reading test – how would a blind person pass that kind of test? Especially a person with macular degeneration, who became blind late in life and so doesn’t know braille. How many languages would the test be administered in? I don’t really see how this could be done in a practical manner.
Based upon the second sentence of Bricker’s paragraph, I believe it was written with tongue solidly in cheek.
True story. I moved to Ohio and tried to get a state license to vote in this year’s election (The casino proposition tickled me). I walked in the DMV with lease in hand and explained to the teller that I moved to the State and wanted a State ID. I was told that I would need to take a written driving exam. I tried to point out that I wanted an ID card and not a driver’s license. My driver’s license from another state doesn’t expire until 2011. No go. I was told that I could not be issued a State ID and would have to be reissued an Ohio driver’s license. Fine. I show my passport and social security card and take the exam and passed. My picture was also taken. After thatwent something like this:
“That’ll be 23 dollars,” the DMV woman said.
“Uh, it’s not free?”
“No, sir.”
“Do you take credit card?”
“No, we take cash and American Express?”
“Do you take VISA?”
“No, cash and American Express”
“I don’t have the money to purchase it.”
“That’s fine. Just come here when you have the funds. You won’t need to retake the exam. NEXT”
That was three months ago and I still haven’t made it back there (for one reason or another). I think if you’re going to require people to get a license, then make it free. Or allow me to have both a State ID and an operator’s license simultaneously. I’m still reeling from the fact that Ohio takes American Express but not VISA. It’s absurd. The only people who’ll likely have an American Express card are the wealthy. Either accept all of them or none at all. Just my two (Visa) cents.
- Honesty
I once had an absentee ballot sent back to me because my current signature didn’t match the signature I used when I registered to vote when I was eighteen. However, they were kind enough to send a photocopy of what my signature is supposed to look like, and instructions to try again. Forging your own signature is an unusual experience.
your two cents aren’t worth crapola, then.
do you not see a problem if you retain an out-of-state driver’s license and simultaneously hold an in-state ID card. you know, like they both show two different sets of residencies?
and i have no idea what shangri-la you came from, but in every state i’ve ever lived in, looked into moving to, or perused DMV sites for fun, an ID card or a driver’s license costs money.
and your point about AmEx versus Visa is dumb. too dumb to comment on.
I did come to the DMV with 10 dollars cash if that helps. At the time, I felt that even if it was more than 10 dollars I could use my debit or credit card. No go. The only point I made about American Express is that the rich are likely to have that card than the poor. Am I wrong? No seriously. Am I? Or is that statement too dumb for you to comment on as well?
If something is required by the State, it should be free, low cost, or have multiple ways to pay. That’s my point. <shrug> I sure didn’t have to pay for my Social Security card (even when it was misplaced). Did you?
- Honesty
Bah! The dumb and illiterate deserve representation just as much as the most educated politically aware person, perhaps more so since they’re demonstrably less able to succeed in general society.
Drivers Licenses and ID Cards are not required by the State. A social security number is required to be employed in this country, which is a de facto requirement of existence. thanks for playing.
as for AmEx and Visa, maybe Visa wouldn’t offer the Ohio DMV the same contract as AmEx did for transaction fees associated with credit card use. as credit cards are only a convenience, nobody is getting screwed by not having an AmEx card, regardless of the demographics of those holding AmEx cards over Visas. not like I think an American Express blue card is haughty, anyways.
In Virgina, poll workers have a computer-printed list of the names and addresses of registered voters, but no graphical images of signatures. I would absolutely support that method as an alternative to voter IDs.
Or maybe a fair chunk of that 55% know history at something more than a superficial level. Literacy tests didn’t cause racism. That’s like blaming water fountains for segregation.
You frequently hear liberals calling voters stupid? What I hear frequently is conservatives telling voters that liberals think they’re stupid.
Of course. It was intended to convey that across the political spectrum, many people have great disdain for uniformed voters, defined as “those voters that don’t agree with my causes.” It’s not limited to liberals or conservatives.
In the wake of same-sex marriage initiatives that have been defeated, I have heard plenty of liberals call voters stupid – and worse. So, just to pick one example: yes.