There is currently a great debate in our nation about the necessity of Voter ID laws and the impact they will have on our democracy. It is with clear distinction that the Voter ID laws recently passed in various states, noted by right wing support, are a clear infringement on the ideals of a collective and openly participatory democracy. Voter ID laws, which in their inception are supposedly to protect democratic thought, would be a noble effort if they were implemented without malicious intentions and voter fraud was actually a problem. These Voter ID laws, in fact, act to deter and discriminate against minorities and various groups. From 2000-2010 there were only 13 cases of voter fraud demonstrating that there is no reason to enact cumbersome
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Vast amounts of voters have been turned away due to not having the “sufficient identification” to appease the polling workers. In Texas alone, nearly 1.4 million people were disenfranchised by the new voting laws (Rhodan 1). It is baffling that the disenfranchisement of millions is noted as a worthy and justifiable result of “solving” a problem that does not exist. Not only are people being denied the right to vote, but they are also being purged off of voter rolls. Such is the case in Virginia, where 38,000 unsuspecting individuals were thrown off the register due to the new laws (Liebelson 1). The new legislative initiatives force purged citizens to go over the process of re-registering in their precinct. Women also face a special sort of persecution with these new laws, as a vast majority of married women change their maiden name to their husband 's name (Liebelson 2). This causes a problem as only 66% of women have documents with their correct and updated information on it. We must also not forget the many elderly and poor people who do not even have IDs and due to this fact will no longer be gifted the beautiful democratic gift of suffrage (Rhodan 1). However, there is another group that is throttled from a speedy voting process due to the fact of being transgender and are discounted from suffrage because they are trying to be who are they. According to the Williams Institute at the University of California School of Law, 29% of transgender men and women in states where strict photo ID laws are in place do not have IDs that reflect the gender they present (Rhodan
Vast amounts of voters have been turned away due to not having the “sufficient identification” to appease the polling workers. In Texas alone, nearly 1.4 million people were disenfranchised by the new voting laws (Rhodan 1). It is baffling that the disenfranchisement of millions is noted as a worthy and justifiable result of “solving” a problem that does not exist. Not only are people being denied the right to vote, but they are also being purged off of voter rolls. Such is the case in Virginia, where 38,000 unsuspecting individuals were thrown off the register due to the new laws (Liebelson 1). The new legislative initiatives force purged citizens to go over the process of re-registering in their precinct. Women also face a special sort of persecution with these new laws, as a vast majority of married women change their maiden name to their husband 's name (Liebelson 2). This causes a problem as only 66% of women have documents with their correct and updated information on it. We must also not forget the many elderly and poor people who do not even have IDs and due to this fact will no longer be gifted the beautiful democratic gift of suffrage (Rhodan 1). However, there is another group that is throttled from a speedy voting process due to the fact of being transgender and are discounted from suffrage because they are trying to be who are they. According to the Williams Institute at the University of California School of Law, 29% of transgender men and women in states where strict photo ID laws are in place do not have IDs that reflect the gender they present (Rhodan