Voter ID for Polling - Research Paper Example

Voter ID Each time the nation goes for election, electorate carry their voting cards to the polling stationsto vote. The campaigns that politicians hold are dedicated by the voting pattern that people take at the end of the campaign period. Largely, legislation guiding the voting process sets some requirements that a voter must meet. It is quite for a voter to show up at a voting station without these requirements. The legislation provides sanity in the election process thereby promoting transparency and accountability. America states have voting rules or laws, which define the election process. Each state has its laws, which it has enacted to guide the election process. The use of Voter ID in the voting process is a legal requirement by the laws of some states in America. Voters have the mandate of acquiring the Voter ID at the stipulated time before the electioneering period. Voter registration and verification is an important exercise that involves all those people who are willing to cast their votes (Schmidt, et. al. 307). Enacting legislation to guide the election process has met protest of equal magnitude from citizens who feel that the voter requirement would lock many people out of the voting process. It is true that the people locked out of the voting process would not find an opportunity to make a decision on what kind of leadership they would like to rule their society. Voting is a vital process for each citizen because the choice that a citizen makes today would define the life the citizen would lead tomorrow. This reason has led to the criticism of the Voter ID requirement. Restrictive voter identification policies, such as, state issued photo ID cards, threaten to exclude millions of eligible voters who include poor, minorities, elderly, handicap among others. State governors, led by Republican state governors promote the Voter ID policies. States in America have adopted new voter law, which aim at restricting voting procedures in the states. The law stipulates that voters must produce government ID photo, proof of citizens, and other related government documents. Many Americans do not have all or some of these documents, yet they need to vote in order to shape their destiny. Reaction by different wings in the political divide has led to filling of lawsuits, which would lead unraveling of stagnation of the voters’ right. Elderly people, students, women, people who are under the low-income bracket, people with disabilities, and the color may not vote. The law threatens the right of this group because of the strict conditions that it poses to them. The move adopted by many states in America to adopt strict voter laws has led to protest from civil right movements and the democrats. Many street protests indicate that many people feel that the laws are repugnant to the electioneering process sometimes in 2012. Election is the pillar of democracy in America and any thing that seems to tamper with the election process draws criticism from all the political wings (Griffith 227). Senior election analyst, Jennie Bowser comments that American people believe that election is the root of American democracy. Some Americans feel that the rights to vote in America are under attack following the new voter regulation policies. It is worth noting that the freedom that American enjoys is a result of voting freedom that they have. Voting has been a tool of changing and shaping leadership in the United States. The role of voting in the American society is clear to every American citizen. A society without laws does not respect the opinion of the society. The laws provide a framework that lays the procedures of handling things. In the like manner, the electoral laws provide a guide to the society in order to promote accountability and transparency. The fear that electorate have over the new laws have some grounds because some people are likely to remain out of the process because of the restrictive laws. Laws are useful in the society, but would be havoc if they lead to social stagnation. American people should uphold the social gains and work towards promoting factors that lead to social development. Some protesters feel that the Voter ID law is an intention by the republican wing to lock the minority out of the election process. The republican wing seems to support the new laws. Senator Joey Fillingane feels that the laws would work towards a fairer election (Berry). He is among the Republican senators who supported the adopting of the new Voter ID laws. Joey argued that the new Voter ID laws would help to stump frauds in elections process. He argued that the laws would bar the dead from voting. Republicans admits that the laws would not eliminate all the problems in the election process but would help to reduce cases of fraud. Some people vote, yet they are dead, argued senator Joey. To some extent, his statement is true; cases of people who died long time ago have spurned mixed reaction when people who died appear in the voters register. This is an indication that the preexisting laws had a loophole, which provided a means of rigging the voting process. The requirements of a voter changed. This stringent process has invited reaction since it prohibits compromising the voting process on the ground that the individual listed in the voting register is seek or unable to reach the polling station. A quick look at the new laws entails the following; some states in America require Strict Photo ID for an electorate to vote. These states include Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, Kansas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Texas. The above states have enacted the strict voter photo ID law, which would be in action the 2012 election. The residents of these respective states will have to adhere to the new requirement in order to vote. Report about the new laws indicates that the new laws have not operational, but would be in operation come 2012 election. Analysts argue that the voting exercise would be difficult for the above states because of the strict requirement of the law. Largely, the voting laws may deprive the rights of many citizens who would not be able to meet the deadline. A democrat representative Steve Israel claimed that he does not sleep because of the voter ID issue. According to the argument by Democrats, it is eminent that millions of voters would be locked following the move to enact the Voter Photo ID law (Meadows 171). The Voter Photo ID law demands that a voter must turn up to the voting station with a photo of the voters ID. When an individual fails to meet the above criterion, the law provides a room for voting at a provisional voting box and further dictates that counting of the vote casted would when the voter returns to show the voter photo ID. This is the area where the challenge lies. Many Americans are busy and may fail to turn up in polling station for a second time to verify their credibility as eligible voters. Democrats feel that the voting pattern would change when the news laws come in place. Politicians usually fear to accept changes that would influence their political endeavors. For example, politics is a career just like teaching or law, when a politician fails to secure votes required for the political office, his or her life would be doomed. The critical sense behind the argument is how the law will work without depriving the minority in the United States. The democratic space that American people enjoy did not come out of the blues, but through dedication and sacrifice. It would be difficult for hard won freedom to be lost by a piece of legislation enacted within a couple of hours. American citizens have their democratic right to vote. Freedom to contribute to social development narrows the moment that an individual fails to cast his vote. Political position in the society dictates the future of the Americans. The local and the federal government gain their powers from the electorate who gives the mandate to be in office. It is true to say that a government that an individual has not contributed to its intuition may enact policies that affect the social lifestyle of the individual who never voted. That notion spells the importance of voting in the community. According to Scher, political analysts argue that voting is the pillar that dictates the future of a nation (113). On the other hand, a voter ID is the weapon that an electorate would use to dictate the type of people who should be in office. The era when people could wake up one morning and ascend to the political helm led to dictatorial leadership styles, which the American people shunned. When new laws bar an individual from voting individual’s democratic, rights to make choices in the society is no longer valid. American people do not feel that they should go back to the dark past, which provided discriminative laws a chance to pounce the rights of the minority. The reason that has led the republicans to support the new voter ID laws is a question that many political analysts would wish to unravel. The intention behind the new laws seems to be politically motivated. The minority wing in the United States seems to lie on the democratic wing in the political divide. Report by Brennan Centre of Justice indicates that South Carolina, Kansas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Texas have about 3.2 million voters who are likely to miss voting because they the states has not issued them with the Voter ID. This number worries because 3.2 million people could bring a change of leadership. The outcome of the American election is likely to face the effect of the law. The report further noted though some people will be willing to vote, the law would lock them out. The proposed laws seem to promote discriminatory laws, which prevent the freedom of making a decision in the society. The republicans have sited fraud as the major issue that led them to propose and support the law. Many Republicans senators believe that America has witnessed cases of fraud in election for a very long time, yet nothing tangible has taken place. Hans von Spakovsky, senior counsel at Heritage Foundation wonders about what amount of election fraud the society should accept (Berry). He believes that United States has had a long history of election malpractices, which the new law could alter. Democrats have opposed election laws because of the impact it would have in the society. Banning citizens from voting does not promote democratic rights, but it erodes the democratic rights that the society has gained over the years. Many American rights organizations have ganged up to Stage Street protest against the law. The following unions have shown their intentions of censuring the government to adopt an alternative approach in handling the electoral laws; United Federation of Teachers, National Council of La Raza Health Care Workers Union among others. The spokes person of the movement indicated that they would rally in ten of thousands to protest the adoption of the laws. The approach that the American are taking while handling this issue is similar to previous moves used to quest for freedom. Early right activists used their protest mechanism to push for their rights in the society. They battled their way in the greasy roads in the streets to censure the government to grant rights and freedom to the minority in the society. The same protests may lead to change of events in the society. When the protest takes similar angle, it would help to restrain the enacting of election law. The research indicates that to some extent, argument against voting fraud is true and needs intervention, which would help in curbing the malpractice. The research recommends adoption of laws, which would cater for the rights of the minority in the society. Losing of more than 3.2 million votes has a major impact on the outcome of the election. An inclusive approach would lead to devising of laws, which would promote the rights of every American. The government has a duty of issuing the required documents to the prospective voters immediately in order to respect and protect the rights of minority. Alternatively, the states can decide to drop the laws until the citizens get the required documents. In conclusion, the Voter ID laws restrict the voting trends that the American states would adopt. The requirement of the law dictates that voters must produce government photo identification in order to vote. Several states in America have enacted the legislation and many states are pushing for similar law. Many Americans feel that the voter ID laws would make the minorities, which include the disabled, the colored, women, elderly, and students. The above categories may not meet total requirements of the law. Republicans seem to push for the law because of the potentiality that it has in eliminating fraud during election. Some analysts argue that the law might not eliminate election fraud, but reduce cases where the dead also vote. On the other hand, the democrat wing has opposed the law citing ineffectiveness of the law to avert discrimination in the society. Voting right provides an opportunity for the American citizen to dictate the kind of leadership they would wish to adopt. Work cited Berry, B. Deborah. Debate heats up over voter ID laws.11/10/201. Web 22 Nov. 2011. Griffith, E. Benjamin. America votes!: a guide to modern election law and voting rights. Chicago: American Bar Association. 2008. 224-250. Print. Meadows, K. Tyson. When the Letter Betrays the Spirit: Voting Rights Enforcement and African American Participation from Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama. Maryland: Lexington Books. 2011. 170-190. Print. Scher, K. Richard. The politics of disenfranchisement: why is it so hard to vote in America? California: M.E. Sharpe, 2011. 98-120. Print. Schmidt, W. Steffen, Shelley II, C. Mark & Bardes, A. Barbara. American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2011. 302-350. Print. Read More