Attorney General Eric Holder gave three examples of what he called America’s “pernicious racism.” The second example is the push for voter ID.
Holder considers voter ID laws are racist, or more precisely, that those who want them do so to suppress minority voter turnout. Holder said: “In too many jurisdictions, new types of restrictions are justified as attempts to curb an epidemic of voter fraud that -- in reality -- has never been shown to exist. Rather than addressing a supposedly widespread problem, these policies disproportionately disenfranchise African Americans, Hispanics, other communities of color, and vulnerable populations such as the elderly. But interfering with or depriving a person of the right to vote should never be a political aim. It is a moral failing.”
One problem with Holder’s argument is that most white, Hispanic and black voters support voter photo ID. A 2006 nationwide survey of 36,500 voters, conducted under a collaborative project by 37 universities, found that 77 percent of whites, 78 percent of Hispanics and 70 percent of blacks support voter ID regulations. It's tough to call a law "racist" when the people whom it is supposedly designed to suppress also support it.
As far as the supposedly onerous nature of the law, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that such laws do not impose any undue burden on voters. Justice John Paul Stevens, arguably the courts most liberal member, wrote the majority opinion in this 2008 case about Indiana voter ID. Stevens wrote, “There is no question about the legitimacy or importance of the State's interest in counting only the votes of eligible voters. Moreover, the interest in orderly administration and accurate recordkeeping provides a sufficient justification for carefully identifying all voters participating in the election process. While the most effective method of preventing election fraud may well be debatable, the propriety of doing so is perfectly clear.”
As far as voter fraud being nonexistent, tell that to James O'Keefe.
O’Keefe, the muckraking conservative journalist who exposed illegal activity by ACORN, released video of a young bearded white man walking into AG Eric Holder’s polling place on election day. He asked for an Eric Holder ballot, which a worker promptly handed to him. No questions asked. No ID requested. The “voter,” a youthful white guy, said he had no ID with him, and even offered to retrieve it. The poll worker said, “You don’t need it. It’s all right. … As long as you’re in here (the poll worker pointed to his voter registration book), you’re on our list, and that’s who you say you are, you’re OK.”
The worker simply assumed the guy was Holder -- and casually handed the ballot to him! But Holder tells us, “Voter fraud that -- in reality -- has never been shown to exist.”
“Pernicious” racism?
Related: Eric Holder’s Three Examples Of ‘Pernicious’ Racism Don’t Hold Up, Part I By Larry Elder
Related: Eric Holder’s Three Examples Of ‘Pernicious’ Racism Don’t Hold Up, Part III By Larry Elder
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