Anyway - I'm just going to tell you a little story about my voting experience... which was FINE, no line... easy breezy beautiful... I check all the little boxes next to the people I want, I abstain here and there on some things I wasn't responsible enough to research, and TaDahh... I'm done. Because I'd walked to the polling place with a friend I am killing a little time when in walks this lady... whose name I don't know but we'll just call her Ms. Law Abiding Citizen or LAC for short. Now I'm sure that LAC is a nice soul and I'm also sure that she had the law on her side but she was also just a tad... LOUD... for a polling place! She was upset that the volunteers had (following instructions from someone else) posted signs stating that a Photo ID was required to vote. Apparently this is breaking a law of some kind, I don't know... I don't really care. I personally think asking for some proof of ID to cast a ballot in any election is a great idea because otherwise I could go in claiming to be anyone in the precinct - whatever...
My real point is that regardless of LAC's intentions she came across as being nasty (and again, I'm sure she's not) - she marched in, right up to the first volunteer (who was giving up her time to help out) and informed her (and the entire room) that she had called the County Commissioner's Office (or some other official place?) and that they were on the way over to remove those signs and they were MAD... The sweet volunteer refrained from telling the lady to chill out and stop harassing the voters - she just smiled and said thank you for the information, told her they'd followed instructions and left it at that. That didn't satisfy LAC, she apparently came to pick a fight and she wasn't getting one... so she approached another volunteer - this one who was in the middle of the polling place so now EVERYONE is being subjected to her angry cries and unable to concentrate on their actual VOTING... She is also very nice, and luckily the representative from the important office came in to remedy the situation... funny, she didn't look mad... and she took care of it. I had to leave the room during the tirade because I was having a hard time keeping my own anger in check - but the signs were down when I left to walk home... Guess I'm going to have to go do some research on THAT law now...
Funny thing? Q voted about an hour after me, and while he doesn't remember signs, he was asked for his ID... were his constitutional rights violated?
14 comments:
You've actually stepped into a big issue here! The argument that it is unconstitutional comes from the fact that you have to pay to get a state ID (a nominal fee, of course), thus you have to pay a poll tax to vote. In my opinion, it's ludicrous. In my state (NC) I only have to tell the poll worker my name and address, something 100s of people would know: friends, family, neighbors, etc. Any of them could theoretically walk in and say they're me, give them my address, and vote my ballot. I have no problem verifying I am who I say I am with a state ID/driver's license, but they can't require that here (it's different by state).
Oh, and you might be thinking, "big deal!", but the real reason why people are all up in arms about required ID for voting is that it would crack down on immigrants from voting, those who are not even citizens and shouldn't be voting in the first place.
I thought about this too - it's not a law in Texas (not surprised), but all I had to do was show them my voter registration card. I could have been Mickey Mouse. They did print out a sticker with my name, placed it in a roll book, and I had to sign that that was who I was.
Big leap of faith for a country where a lot of citizens freely take advantage of the system, and various other things.
Em
Huh. I didn't even know that was an issue. I just whipped out my voter's registration card.
Even so, I'm thinking LAC could have tried a different approach on the whole thing.
I just dont get nasty People they really bug me!! Did her mother never teach her you get more bee's with honey than salt!! Even if thats how it works, bug off!! LOL
Ugh--I got annoyed just reading that! And I don't think it's a huge deal about showing an id--in fact I'm for it! Who knows how much voter fraud goes on because of that!
I too would have been irritated...I hate it when people pull that kind of crap. I am happy to PROVE I am who I am, and to keep the road smooth...I am not offended by it, so maybe this woman had a reason to be offended...hmmmm poor dl picture maybe, lied about her weight, says she needs glasses...hmmm
HA, never realized my little vent would stir such a kettle of worms (holy mixed metaphors!)
My own DL picture is horrendous and I would have LOVED to keep it to myself... (think 8+ months pregnant, on steroid injections for some serious carpal tunnel, AND I had lied about my pre-pregnant weight by about 10 pounds... yurgh!)
Oh, wow! I was just discussing this someplace else just the other day. I didn't realize it was against a law to ask for photo id. In my opinion, it would make more sense to do this. Who knows?!
meh, i had to show my id...it was no big deal. people need to chill out.
We only require photo ID at our polling place when a person is filling out a provisional ballot and isn't in the book already.
Maybe LAC should run for office since she is such a stickler for rules nobody else knows about.
It cracks me up when people try to ruin another persons day and just want to fight. I get satisified when people are just polite to them and then it makes the naughty person way worse! Love it!
I have always been in favor of showing proof of ID before voting. I was actually shocked to NOT be asked... Maybe because I was wielding my voter card, but they didn't even look at that. All I had to do was sign beside my name and address. Scary. And I didn't even get a sticker. man.
I showed ID and it didn't bother me at all. Infact, I think it is to help stop the fraud that happens, and of course all of the illegals in AZ to not vote. I always wonder about all of the mail in voter ballots. They found stashes of them in the Seattle post office after the election! Who counts the mail ins and are they really counted before the election? Do they factor into the electoral college vote?
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