The NAACP of Georgia is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case against Georgia’s law, requiring voters at the polls to show government photo-ID in order to vote. The case in the lower courts was called Common Cause/Georgia v Billups, but now it is called NAACP v Billups, no. 08-1231. Here is the brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s photo-ID law on April 28, 2008, but the Indiana case had been filed with no voter-plaintiffs who lacked the needed ID. The Court said the law was constitutional on its face but left the door open to an as-applied challenge after the law had been used. By contrast, the Georgia NAACP case has two voter-plaintiffs who lack any government photo-ID. The Court hasn’t set a conference date yet, but is expected to set one in a few days.
Excellent job Georgia NAACP!!! This critical issue disproportionately impacts communities of color and the elderly. We will keep fighting until we win.
Simone Lightfoot
Detroit Branch NAACP
What are their grounds for this lawsuit? Why is this some kind of huge burden on minorities and the poor? I assume they leave the house more than once every 4 years. I know going to the DMV/DPS sucks, but it’s really too much of a hassle for the all-important ability to vote? How do these people even get registered if they can’t find the time to go get a free ID card? Yes, I read that voter identification cards are free.
It’s bad enough that we vote using a magic box that we blindly put our faith in (i.e. electronic voting machines). Why should I allow my vote to be diminished even further by non-citizens and apathetic individuals who show up just to vote straight-ticket?
Not everyone has a house, or even a home. Homeless people are frequently robbed because they have no safe place to leave their belongings. Homeless people I have known were forever being plagued by having their ID’s stolen. That’s why check-cashing places that don’t require photo ID, but which take a big cut of the check, thrive in poor neighborhoods.
#3: If a person has no street address and registers to vote, how could he be assigned to a voting precinct?
This reminds me of a controversy a few years ago in Washington state. The Democrats were registering people to vote who only listed a post office box as their address. A sarcastic blogger referred to the Dems as “the party of the little guy– who lives in a mail box.” The post included a photo of a little plastic figure inside a post office box.
http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/litigation/documents/Billups-Petition-4-1-09.pdf
Blacks don’t need government ID’s to vote. Acorn vote’s for them and votes often. GImme a break!! Why is it that sambo can’t go to the BMV and get its picture taken.. then again, a trip to the local police station to pick up the booking photos could provide all the identification necessary.
Wow! Very good point #4. If properly organized, a state or district’s homeless population can very possibly swing an election. If they don’t have a permanent address they could be persuaded to vote in those elections that would matter the most.
Also, very speculative, but highly likely, forgive me if I don’t trust a homeless person to make a well-informed decision without having an internet connection (I don’t trust television or the papers).