Where's My Vote?

With 41 days until Election Day, both parties are working hard to get potential voters registered — but only if you are the right kind of voter.

In a protest over a YouTube film which demonstrators feel insults Islam, more U.S. Embassies continue to be attacked. With over 15 Americans under attack, you would think that would be the front page story, or you would think that it was the stock market index closing hundreds of points down on its worst day of trading in years, or the proletarian riots that are breaking out somewhere in the world, or any of the statements made today by the Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney or statements made by President Obama himself – but it is not. Tonight’s leading story is about a woman named Jane Doe. Jane Doe is an 82-year-old resident of City, State, and has been voting for the last 64 years. This year she was told she can’t. A new law in Texas requires residents to show a government issued photo ID in order to vote. Jane Doe does not have a driver’s license because Jane Doe does not have a car. Jane Doe does not have a passport – her days of traveling and adventure ended long ago. Her state of residence is not alone.

At this moment according to the National Conference of State Legislators, 31 states have proposed or already adopted the same voter id laws that have disqualified citizens like Jane Doe from the one fundamental thing we all do as Americans. Studies from The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that roughly 11 percent or nearly 34 million people do not have government issued photo ids and will be disenfranchised this November 6. Why? To crack down on what some politicians voice as the terrible problem of voter fraud. Governor Rick Perry of Texas who previously entered the Presidential Primary Race this year is serious about cracking down on the problem, “Making sure that there is not fraud, making sure that someone is not manipulating the process that makes all the sense in the world to me.”

Voter fraud is such a huge problem that during a five year period under the Bush Administration when 196 million votes were cast according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of cases of voter fraud reached – 86. Not 86,000 but 86. As a percentage of votes cast, that number is - .00004 percent. This could be seen as a solution without a problem, but instead, it is a solution to another problem. Certain political parties have a hard time getting particular groups of people to vote for them; things would be a lot easier if those groups were just not allowed to vote at all. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, 31 voter id laws were proposed by a particular group of political party legislators’, passed by the same party whom controlled the state houses and signed into law by that same party’s Governors.

Now while the previous case of Jane Doe may be a fictitious character sensationalized by media outlets and syndicated programming, it is a real issue affecting minority groups, the elderly and college voters; many of whom are not even aware of the fact that the U.S. elections are hindering their rights and turning into a criminal enterprise.  Here is what you need to know. The federal court struck down the Texas law that would have required voters to show government-issued photo identification before casting their ballots in November. The court said the law “would hurt turnout among minority voters and impose strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor by charging those voters who lack proper documentation fees to obtain election ID cards.” Government officials called the Texas’ voter-identification law “the most stringent of its kind in the country.” Governor Rick Perry and supporters are attempting to appeal the decision to the United States Supreme Court.

While the appeal is waiting to be filed, many college students are speaking their minds on the issue. UT Student Government Representative Jordan Metoyer says, “College students were an integral demographic in the 2008 election, a fact that may change entirely if some lawmakers get their way.” Many students agree with Jordan. Cortney Sanders, a junior Government major at the University of Texas at Austin says this is just another way to keep marginalized groups from the poll. “This is a disenfranchisement to all college students, especially those of color and who are out of state.” While law says you just need a birth certificate and $23 to pay for a photo id, Cortney says “this is just like the illegal poll tax and that is just wrong on every level.” As college students, both Jordan and Cortney say that their likelihood to vote is largely based on the time required to enact their right; any obstacle that adds a burden to students will negatively affect their chances of voting.

One proposed solution for college students is absentee ballots. However, student deputy voter registrars like Cortney say it is not the best thing especially for college students. If you are a college student looking to vote in the upcoming election, Cortney offers her advice by encouraging students to “register and vote where your school is since that is where you typically reside for about 10 months out of the school year.” The deadline to register to vote is October 9. Travis County Tax Office Director Tiffany Seward offers her advice to college students registering or looking to vote in the upcoming election. “The first thing college students must do is determine where they want to vote. Students may vote at their home address, and if they decide to exercise this option, they should contact that state or county to request an absentee ballot. Students who prefer to vote in Travis County on Election Day must register at their new address by October 9. Because students tend to move often, they should check their voter registration status before the deadline.”

While there is no evidence of significant levels of voter impersonation — the sort of fraud that would be addressed by ID requirements — the argument is that this issue is going undetected. Proponents for the voter id bill say these laws are constitutional methods of preventing voter fraud, restrictions needed to prevent fraud. Voter impersonation fraud is rare and proponents for the law contend that the restrictions are a veiled effort to suppress turnout by legitimate voters such as students, the elderly and minorities.  These are voters who are less likely to have a photo ID card and who tend to support a particular political party.