Home > Political Insider > Archives > 2007 > May > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTwo UGA researchers: Democrats had cause to worry about the voter ID law
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two University of Georgia political scientists say that many of the objections voiced by Democrats in a two-year fight over voter ID are grounded in fact.
“The evidence suggests that it is indeed Democrats who are less likely to be in possession of a valid driver’s license,” write M.V. “Trey” Hood and the oft-quoted Charles Bullock in a paper presented this spring.
In 2005, the Republican-controlled Legislature passed a statute requiring voters to present a picture of themselves — most often a driver’s license — when they go to the polls, as an anti-fraud measure.
Democrats, particularly African-Americans, declared the law was intended to dampen turnout. Enforcement of the measure has been blocked.
Hood and Bullock examined the demographics and voting habits of roughly 300,000 voters who were determined by state government to be registered - but were not on its data base of motorists.
While they warned that their findings weren’t conclusive, the two noted that:
Suburban counties, which historically vote Republican, “did see significantly lower rates” of registered voters without ID than rural and urban counties.
Non-white voters were less likely than white voters to possess a driver’s license. For instance, a black voter was nearly twice as likely to lack a license as a white voter. “Women and older Georgians were also significantly more likely to be without a license or identification card,” the paper said.
Voters without driver’s licenses are significantly more likely to vote in Democratic, as opposed to Republican, primaries.
Voters who lack a driver’s license as ID are less likely to vote, particularly in general elections. “Given that registrants without a driver’s license are already less likely to vote, requiring certain forms of photo identification to vote would most likely diminish turnout among this group even further,” Hood and Bullock write.
Their paper, “Worth a Thousand Words?: An Analysis of Georgia’s Voter Identification Statute,” was presented in March at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Political Science Association in New Mexico.
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By Darrell
May 17, 2007 9:45 AM | Link to this
How do all of these people buy alcohol and cigs? They all can’t be having kin, friends etc buying for them! You can’t tell me that it’s a problem to get an ID, especially when the state has set it up for one to be provided free. The report says that these people are already very unlikely to vote. So this is a problem How???
By Darrell
May 17, 2007 9:47 AM | Link to this
Also it is talking about having a “Drivers License”, that is not the only form of Photo ID allowed to Vote. This is not worth the paper it was printed on.
By Tony
May 17, 2007 10:00 AM | Link to this
Last time I checked it doesn’t take a license or photo ID for a 50 year old to buy either Darrell. And Darrell, if they have no license how do you expect them to get to a place to get the free ID?
They may be unlikely to vote but that does not mean you can still hinder their access. You may not be likely to want to buy a gun or go to the public square to speak out or demonstrate but that doesn’t mean the right should be hindered does it?
I’d rather take the paper these two wrote on than some half-brained comment coming from you. You haven’t even read the study but are willing to come out and say it’s worthless. I’ll use your logic and go ahead and call you worthless as well.
By SD
May 17, 2007 10:38 AM | Link to this
This stinks to the high heavens. People, this is 2007 not 1963. How can one function in the world today, with identity theft the way it is today, without proper ID?. I’m not buying that this requirement would be more of a burden on a particular demographic than others. However, what I do see is the same ol’ entitlement attitude that still exist today…give me special treatment. With illegal immigration the way it is today we all need government issued ID cards to prove we are who we asay we are, that we a re legally in the country and we are legally registered to legally vote. The ones I see having an issue with this just may possibly see their voting base dry up when dead folks and ghost can’t vote.
By LK
May 17, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this
If we are truly concerned about vote fraud (as opposed to disenfranchisement), why all the opposition from the republicans to a paper trail for electronic voting? The reaso of course, is vote fraud is of no concern at all.
By Brian Curtis
May 17, 2007 12:17 PM | Link to this
Of COURSE voter fraud is a non-problem. It’s a distraction to divert attention from the bigger concern of no paper trail on the (riggable) voting machines.
Just like the “crisis” of Saddam was a distraction from Bush’s failure to find Bin Laden, or the “emergency” need to save Social Security was a distraction from the longstanding Republican dream of dismantling it.
It’s a classic conservative tactic. Hopefully the people aren’t dumb enough to fall for it this time.
By Dave
May 17, 2007 12:19 PM | Link to this
There’s just as much potential for voter fraud - if not more so - with our absentee voting system. BUT of course, since absentee voting is generally a Republican initiative, it’s not being addressed…
By Ryan
May 17, 2007 12:56 PM | Link to this
Well LK perhaps the war was concoted in a black helicopter over texas as a way to increase oil revenue. How much are your due to the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy Association of the Liberal Minded Cretin.
While I agree that the paper trail should exists you are defending the party of Mayor Dailey in Chicago who continues to find 300 yr old voters. Should you do a little research you will notice that a DEMOCRAT Secretary of State along with a DEMOCRAT Governor along with a DEMOCRAT Lt. Governor combined with a majority DEMOCRAT Legislature passed the electronic voting process and only cried foul after losing the past three legislative elections and becoming a party with no effective leader and no platform cater to those who feel they are entitled to something simply for being born and that Hard-Work is a dirty word.
By Darrell
May 17, 2007 2:02 PM | Link to this
I’m all for a paper trail. I also think a photo ID is OK. Actually most States require more proof of ID than Georgia does, but when we talk about it, it’s to put down the poor and minority voters. Give me a break.
By Kija
May 17, 2007 3:16 PM | Link to this
My mother was born in this country 90 years ago and cannot get proper id to vote because the town hall where her birth was registered burned down in the 30s. Yes, she could get a driver’s license pre 9/11, but post-9/11 requirements to prove citizenship are impossible for her because the only substitution for certified birth certificates are two surviving witnesses who were alive when she was born and can attest to their personal knowledge that she was born here. She’s 90. There’s one person who could attest but he’s immobilized in a nursing home from a stroke. So, under the new Medicaid prove your a citizen crap passed by racists like Tancredo with the support of some of the racists here, my mother basically had her citizenship stripped from her at the age of 90. She died in Nov of last year and I wonder how much of her death was due to the stress of trying to find some way to prove she was a citizen.
By the way, even though voter ID is motivated by racism, you should know that the person you put under months of stress with your racism was white.
By SD
May 17, 2007 3:40 PM | Link to this
Kia, try dealing with your anger and loss in a more productive way than white bashing. I bet if you don’t find a good parking place at the mall you blame whitey for getting there sooner. Also, your mom was 90 when she died, what did you expect her to live to be , 400?
By Rebecca
May 18, 2007 8:15 AM | Link to this
I’m really disappointed in the slant of this column. If it’s true that more folks without ID are likely to vote Democrat - so what? The point is, the law is prohibitive. There are many correlations between the demographics that the study points to and the democratic party. To be fair, the column should have pointed out that this explains why the Republicans fought so hard to get the voter ID passed then!