Why is it Hard to Vote? Ever try to get a Voter Photo ID?

THE PHOENIX

As a Pennsylvania Resident, voting has always been relatively easy for me.  I'm old enough that when I first went to register to vote I actually had to physically go to the Court House to get a form and complete it there. But, I don't remember that as being a very time-consuming process. Since that time I've lived in several different locations that meant on voting days I would be going to a different polling place. When that happened, I just had to go to the computer and print out a change of registration form and mail it in. I did get a Voter Registration Card in the mail, but it was only checked the first time I showed up at my new polling place.  From then on, when I arrived, they simply opened their large voter registration forms binder and I signed in and they just compared this year's signature to last year's.  And...that was it!  Oh...those were the days!!!

Actually, for me, those are STILL THE DAYS....but..THEY COULD CHANGE AT ANY TIME! Why? Here in Pennsylvania our legislators passed some rather strict voting restriction laws that require a Voter Photo ID before one can vote.  Gratefully, those laws - which were enacted to prevent Voter Fraud (which apparently isn't really a problem...but...you know, be prepared!) - are currently being challenged in the courts. So, Voter Photo IDs aren't required YET in PA but they can be if the court challenge puts the Voter Photo ID Law back in place.

As a LICENSED DRIVER I don't really have to worry either way - I have a "Government Issued" Photo ID.  But, in that limbo period when the PA law had been passed and before it was challenged in the court, I discovered how hard it really is to get one of these "official IDs". And, as I've done some research in preparing to write this blog, I've not only discovered just how many states are in the midst of these Voter Photo ID Laws; I've also come to a much clearer understanding of just why it's so very difficult and expensive to get one of these SUPPOSEDLY FREE Photo IDs.

Since the purpose of both this blog and the Phoenix Party itself is to organize and get as many voters who support the goals of the Phoenix Party to the polls, it seemed important to spend some time exploring the obstacles to voting that need to be overcome before any "get out the vote" campaign can be successful. Exploring the challenges to getting a "Government Issued Photo ID" seems a good place to start. 

I currently live in a retirement home for members of my Congregation.  I'm the youngest resident and live here primarily because of health issues. However, I'm definitely healthy enough to volunteer to accompany our older sisters to the Driver Photo ID Center during that limbo period when we didn't know if they'd be able to vote in PA without a proper ID.  I went on two trips - both were experiences I will never forget! These women were in their 80s and 90s and some came with their walkers and canes.  The large room was packed with people either looking for Voter Photo IDs or to get their Driver's Photo IDs.  I found myself thinking what it must be like for elderly people to go through this process without any help. We sat with our sisters and helped them go from station to station to complete paperwork and sit for the ID. This process took over 2 hours! I'm twenty to thirty years younger than these women and I was exhausted! At least I got a seat - though I think the government specializes in cheap and really uncomfortable chairs. Some of the women came with the kind of walkers that had wheels and a flat surface that they could use for their own uncomfortable seats.

Beyond serving as companions, we provided two other important services that many people who need these photo IDs have to do for themselves.  We not only DROVE them there (transportation) but we had sisters who found the paperwork and the required documents needed before any request forms could be processed.

Driving may seem like a simple thing, but when you have neither a car or a driver's license, it's not such an easy or inexpensive task to get to an ID Center. Our Photo ID Center is NOT a bus stop and the other main form of public transportation available in this area is to take a cab.  In doing research for this post I discovered that most people who need to get to a Photo ID Center have to travel at least 10 miles.

The women I drove to the ID Center were older and either had never driven or were old enough that they no longer drove and their licenses had expired. I was surprised, however, to learn that a large number of people who are in the "driving age range" neither have a driver's license or even use a car - they are totally dependent on public transportation (especially if they live in big cities). I lived in NYC for a while and discovered than many people there don't have a car - not because they can't afford to buy one...they just don't want to pay to PARK ONE! There are over 3,000,000 voters in the states with current Photo ID legislation that do not have driver's licenses.

Even though it was easy enough for us to drive to our center, it was another challenge to organize our schedules to get there WHEN THE CENTER WAS OPEN. (Keep in mind I'm talking about women who are RETIRED!).  Our Center isn't open every day and is generally closed for a lunch break - a time when employed, would-be voters could leave work to get their IDs without taking time off from work.  I discovered, however, that these available hours pale in comparison to some locations. I even found a place in Wisconsin that's only open on the 5th Wednesday of every month! Access to Photo ID Centers is the most limited in the areas that have high minority populations.

Beyond driving to the Photo ID Center, the second major assistance we provided to these elderly sisters was to acquired and organize the required documentation needed beyond the Photo ID application form.  Keep in mind, at this point, this Photo ID is supposed to be FREE. You can't get a PHOTO ID unless you have some other kind of OFFICIAL ID document. You can use a BIRTH CERTIFICATE as long as it's an official certificate with a RAISED SEAL (so, no copy of the certificate accepted.) Getting a Birth Certificate is NOT FREE. And, for many people, it's a task that's next to if not impossible to accomplish.  You need to get a certificate with your correct name on it - my mother's name is EILEEN but her Birth Certificate says ELLEN. In my case, I was taking NUNs to vote. Many Nuns have different names now than they did at birth.  While that may be something specific to a nun, it's still a problem if you're now married and you have a different last name and you don't have a copy of your Marriage License. Those are simple problems.  A large number of older and minority voters were born at home and didn't get a birth certificate. Current citizens may have come to America without a birth certificate and can't get one now. While the ID Center would also accept a Passport, if you don't have the above documentation you wouldn't be able to get a Passport either! Personally, though I have one, I got it to travel abroad. I'm no longer doing that travelling so I didn't get the Passport renewed.  I can do that but it will cost me approximately $100.  They could accept my Social Security Card - but I don't have one!  I do have a number and I definitely have it memorized.  But, you're not supposed to carry your card around with you.  I got my card when I was 18. That's more than 40 years ago. For years I knew where I kept it but...alas! Of course, I can get a new Social Security Card.  But, I can't do that unless I have the kind of documentation I've already mentioned!!! For Voters unlike me (who have a driver's license) this is like a CATCH-22: I can't get I want because I don't have what I need which I can't get because I don't have what I wanted in the first place!!! And, if I need to show a proof of Citizenship form that would cost me almost $350.

So...let's review: 

• millions of people can't drive themselves to a PHOTO ID Center
• most of those people live at least 10 miles from a Center
• in rural areas and areas where minority populations live, they have the greatest challenge to have access to public transportation (which, I repeat, is not FREE)
• most ID Centers have limited hours of operation 
• before one even gets to an ID Center, one has to locate - if they can - the official documentation necessary before their Photo ID Application can be processed. Even if they can obtain that necessary documentation, the cost to do so can be substantial

Though the legislation is currently in "limbo", it is estimated that in Philadelphia, PA alone, over 250,000 of CURRENTLY REGISTERED VOTERS would be effected.

So far, we've only considered the challenges and costs to individual voters to get Voter Photo IDs (oh...before I forget to mention it - these VOTER PHOTO IDs can only be used to VOTE, they can't be a photo ID for anything else that you need! Want to open a bank account? Nope! Want to fly? Go figure!) 

However, there is also a substantial cost to any state who passes this kind of legislation. Since every citizen has the right to vote, states have to make sure that there's only a limited challenge to any citizen to comply with these laws. One of the reasons why so many state's legislation is in legal limbo is the fact that the state can be challenged to cover all of the costs that can be an impediment to complying with the law. They can be made to expand Photo ID Center hours and cover the costs to get necessary documentation. At this point, however, states don't make any attempt to do so unless the US Attorney General sues them. Remember, I  took 2 trips to the ID Center because the PA law had been passed and it wasn't immediately challenged in court. If voting is important to you, you do what you need to do as soon as you can to be sure you still can vote! Despite the likelihood of court challenges, over 90 pieces of voter restriction legislation were introduced in 2013 alone! 

Once a state's voter laws change, that state also has to assume another cost that can be substantial.  If you change a law you have to let the public know that you did and you have to train them how to comply with those changes. This might sound like a simple statement but such a PR and training campaign comes with a bottom line that gets into the millions and millions of dollars.  One would think that any state that's deeply in debt and struggling to meet its budget obligations wouldn't want to take on this additional financial burden.

Oh...and did I tell you that the research says that VOTER FRAUD - which all of this legislation is supposed to prevent - DOESN'T REALLY EXIST! For all of the money that is poured into elections it seems that none of it is going toward having someone impersonate you! And, this seems to be so even if that IMPERSONATOR doesn't need to show a Photo ID! 

And why go through what could be a very costly process that can be easily challenged in the courts???  Simple - if it works - elderly, handicapped, minority and poor people have a hard time voting!  There is also this "odd" correlation between the states that are passing these laws and the fact that those states are under the leadership of the GOP.

Happily, there are a number of ideas currently being proposed that will not only eliminate these struggles; they will also make voter registration and voting itself much easier.  Those are the ideas we'll talk about next because those are the ideas that need to be supported NOW!

(I've made a number of factual statements in this post. Most of them come from studies done by THE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE at the New York University's School of Law.)