Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Bad news for the rural poor, among others, in Supreme Court's ruling on voter ID law

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 yesterday that the state of Indiana can require voters to show government-issued photo identification at the polls. This is bad news for rural voters, among others in low-income categories, because it places the onus on those who cast provisional ballots because of the lack of such ID to present acceptable identification or swear they are indigent or have a religious objection to being photographed. Such provisional voters must do so at the county clerk's office within 10 days of the election. While such a journey might seem "no big deal" to city dwellers, it will impose a hardship on many rural voters. I commented here in more detail on this issue, following the January oral arguments in the case.

No comments: