To ID or not To ID?

Should Texas enact a voter ID law? I believe this law might benefit some other states but not Texas. Voter fraud has been one of the strongest arguments of the pro law group and highly emphasized Texas because its minority population is greatly growing. On the other hand Democrats are stating that the voter ID laws will discriminate minority and low income citizens when trying to vote because they are less likely to posses photo identification.

                I agree with most democrats that not only will voter ID laws will discriminate against minority and low income citizens but also there’s only a really low percentage of voter fraud and according to an article in The Racquette “statistics have shown that voter fraud, at least at the polls, is slim to none, with only 86 convictions of voter fraud over a period of five years (prorepublica.org). Voter fraud is more common with absentee ballots, and these voter identification laws do nothing to prevent this kind of fraud. Instead, voter fraud prevents people from voting” sounds like devious plan from the republicans to eliminate democrat supporters. Not only would it hurt the democrats but also Texas because that would cause a lower voting turnout and it’s already low as it is. If a voter ID law is passed every eligible citizen wanted to vote would force them to show a form of identification such as a birth certificate, Tx ID, or driver’s license. In glance you might think what’s so wrong with this law but how about the low income hard working American wanting to vote but has no identification this law would require them to get one. To obtain an ID you need time and money and it’s an extra hassle that a minority or a low income citizen would have to do in order to vote. In The Racquette they also emphasize when they say “prevents people from voting, such as Viviette Applewhite, a Pennsylvanian who is suing the state. Because she is 93 years old, she does not have a birth certificate or a driver’s license, and therefore can’t vote under the new Pennsylvania law. Another negative affect of these laws is that if you don’t have a form of identification to present at the polls, getting a new birth certificate or government issued ID can be costly and time consuming. The elderly and the poor, the people most effected by the laws”. We want people to vote after all that’s what democracy is all about hearing the voice of the people let them fairly choose their leader instead of trying to put restrictions that might prevent them from voting.

                A voting ID law would greatly benefit Texas if voting fraud was a big issue but since it’s not it is absolutely useless and it’s actually discouraging some citizens from voting. And for that same reason the law hasn’t been able to pass in Texas.