The Pros And Cons Of Voter Identification Laws

According to Kristen Clarke, “linking the right to vote to the presentation of specific photo identification significantly burdens that right and denies minority voters equal and unfettered access to the political process” (9). This means that voters lacking a photo ID would be limited and could not exercise their right to vote. Lizette agrees, stating that “Election experts say minorities, poor people and students -- who tend to skew Democratic -- are among those least likely to have valid driver 's licenses, the most prevalent form of identification” (A1). The result of these requirements could affect the democratic votes of an

Voter ID laws are two sided, but most Americans feel that it is necessary to prevent voter fraud. Republicans feel that an individual should already have a state ID because this is required by so many government agencies. Unfortunately, the Democrats are the ones to be most likely affected due to their voters’ economic status, disabilities and age. Whereas, Democrats believe that it is a tactic to defer their supporters from voting.

The argument for compulsory voting is basically undemocratic because the first amendment talks about how you have freedom. The freedom of choice must include the freedom not to choose. Democracy deeply values individual freedom which means if compulsory voting was mandatory, It is a clear violation of liberty and the first amendment. I argue that voting should not be mandatory in America because first, non-voters are uninformed, it doesn’t improve the democratic climate, and it requires a national database. American is one of the most powerful and big countries in the world.

Recently, state-issued photo ID has been required in order vote since the law passed in the Texas legislature. This law has caused controversy as it brings up the question over the state’s power in the regulation of elections. “While pending review within the judicial system, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Shelby County v. Holder, which effectively ended all pending litigation. As a result, voters are now required to present an approved form of photo identification in order to vote in all Texas Elections” (votetexas.gov). The U.S. Supreme Court struck down on Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in the Shelby County v. Holder case.

My feeling is that if Democrats would make it a priority to organize massive voter registration drives by having as incentives block parties with free food and such buses to the polls and financial aid to purchase the necessary documents needed to get the I.D itself, people would vastly outnumber the very committed Republicans who vote in greater percentages. The Republicans totally rely on Democrats to vote and that is what usually happens (Rhodan M). Once we get control of every state legislature, we can change the rules to suite the state and remove those I.D laws and increase the number of voting. So far the law has been in effect for quite some time. According to the “Texas Secretary of State”, since the voter law came into place, there has been a decrease in voters.

I believe that Americans should be required to vote. Compulsory voting allows everyone to have a say about who they think is fit in the government. It allows the polls to be more accurate and the number of votes increase. Required voting allows those who can 't or don 't have time to make it the day or time off work. Requiring people to vote is like a boss requiring his employees to get to work on time, it 's short and easy but also important and effective.

Voter fraud is the act of a voter not listening to the American policy “ one person one vote”, and votes more than once. People can commit this fraud by registering under the names of deceased citizens, voting without citizenship, registering in multiple locations, ineligible voting, and more (U.S News). Voter suppression is a variety of tactics used to decrease the number of voters who vote in a particular election (Ballotpedia). It can be used as a technique to convince people to not vote. According to Aclu.org ,voter suppression laws make it difficult for Americans to vote “ particularly black people, the elderly, students, and people with disabilities”.

The main purpose of the voter ID law is to prevent voter fraud and it has yet to be a big issue. Since there has been no problems, I assume that there has been some sort of leeway happening in the registration process. One of the main forms of leeway could be the fact that we have the option of 7 different types of identification that could be presented in order to vote. And not only that, but we have the right to submit provisional votes as well until we show some sort of ID to match our registration

However after various discussions, my opinion is changed. I now believe that it would not be beneficial to make voting mandatory,

Second, anyone who is caught committing voter fraud will be punished severely. This includes attempting to fraudulently get an ID, attempting to vote under someone else’s name, or any other kind of voter fraud. Consequences will include being banned from voting or holding any government office forever, potentially a fine or jail time. Requiring photo ID to vote is a highly debated topic on both the national and state level. Many argue that voter ID would go against the freedoms listed in the constitution.

This unfamiliarity and thought of the process being confusing deters the younger people from registering to vote in the first place. By removing this process, voters can just show up to cast their votes and move on with their day without worrying about this potentially confusing process. These three methods combined could increase the voter turnout for each

Voter identification laws have ben around since the 1950’s. South Carolina was the first state to require some kind of identification at the polls. No photo was require, just a document bearing the voters name. The first five state to establish a voter identification law were South Carolina, Hawaii, Texas, Florida, and Alaska. Since 2000, more and more states are getting stricter with their voter identification laws.

So, should Americans be required to vote?There are three reasons why Americans should be required to vote: voting is the least you, as a citizen, could do for your country, compulsory voting proves that the rate of votes go up, and if you make people vote it will give them knowledge about what they do not know. One reason why Americans should be required to vote is, because requiring citizens to vote is no more than requiring a male citizen to register for the draft at 19. Evidence

Throughout the recent years the majority of the able voting population are exercising their privilege to vote. Even during the presidential elections the voter turnout rate was 50% or less than that. The act of voting should be a personal responsibility of every citizen meaning it should be a obligation. But to specify on this statement, it should not lawfully required to vote because people also have the right not to vote too (and it would be weakening personal liberties) , but it should be a personal responsibility for citizens if they are to complain about how the government run rather than every citizen. A personal responsibility is when we are the cause of our own actions.

There is a strict and non-strict identification process. In the non-strict process the voter can vote by signing an affidavit of identity. Voters without id can vote but the officials will determine at the close of business if they are a registered voter (Underhill, 2017). The voter id laws effects members of our society that are considered less fortunate or the lower class of their rights.