Desperate Men Call for Desperate Measures

This last week 22 Democrats sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to investigate the new Photo ID bill.  They are hoping to have the new law overturned under the Voter Rights Act of 1965.  Not unlike how the DOJ blocked a similar law in South Carolina.

The Voter Rights Act piggy backs on the 15th amendment to prevent states from enacting laws that discriminate voters based on race or color.  During the time between the end of the civil war and the 1960’s, some southern states were imposing poll taxes and literacy requirements on voters.  These were aimed at preventing the African American citizens from voting.

The Voter Rights Act did two things in attempt to eliminate the disgusting practice of racism from voting booths.  First, it gave the Department of Justice the power to bring litigation against any state that tries to enact racial voting laws.  Second, it mandated preclearance for a select number of counties and states, which at the time had enacted racist voting laws.  This is why the DOJ stepped into the South Carolina law so quickly.  South Carolina requires preclearance from the DOJ before any new voting laws can be enacted.  This is also why Wisconsin Democrats must petition Eric Holder to investigate the Wisconsin photo ID law.

The Wisconsin Democrats wish to assume that only African American people in Wisconsin are incapable of getting photo IDs.  I am not sure who that insults more, the African American population in Wisconsin or the rest of us who are supposed to believe their assumption.  I won’t disagree that there are people (white, black and any other nationality or color) within the state that lack photo IDs; however, to propose that it violates the Voting Rights Act, one must also assume that the state of Wisconsin is barring the access to IDs.  This is obviously false, in fact, we have budgeted for free IDs to those that need them.

Some Democrats will also argue that restrictions on access to DMV locations is another reason this law violates the Voting Rights Act.  Again, if we are to believe this, then it would also be safe to assume that Wisconsin is violating the civil liberties of it citizens when it comes to access to drivers licenses in general.  Yet, that complaint is not being made.

In 2008 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Indiana’s voter ID bill in the case of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board.  The Indiana law is similar to Wisconsin’s in its requirement of a state issued photo ID or a US issued photo ID be presented in order for your vote to be recorded.  Justice Stevens wrote in his opinion that the Indiana law was, “"even handed restrictions" protecting the "integrity and reliability of the electoral process itself"".  Justice Scalia in his concurring opinion says, “The Indiana photo-identification law is a generally applicable, nondiscriminatory voting regulation, and our precedents refute the view that individual impacts are relevant to determining the severity of the burden it imposes.”

As we have seen through out the past year, the Democrats will do anything to halt the democratic process in Wisconsin.  This is just one more example.  All of these stunts are starting to wear thin on Wisconsinites.  In a recent poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling in October, shows that Walker’s approval/disapproval numbers among independents has switched since May.  “In May only 40% approved of him with 56% disapproving. Now those numbers are almost flipped with 52% approving to 44% who disapprove.”

While I hate the fact that Wisconsin must suffer through this tantrum of the liberals; at least people are starting see exactly how destructive the Democratic Party wishes to become.