WASHINGTON -- The advent of new laws nationwide that require government-issued identification cards at the polls, curtail early voting and criminalize registration efforts reminds Rep. John Lewis of a racist time and caused him to bring opposition.
The Atlanta Democrat and former chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee said the trend, which in Georgia involves a voter ID law and a reduction in early voting in recent years, has stirred memories of violence and intimidation of African-Americans seeking the vote during the civil rights movement.
"It’s a disgrace that in 2011 we have to fight these battles all over again," Lewis said.
At issue is whether it is necessary to show a photo ID along with a voter registration card. And among the disparities, Texas has a new voter ID law that allows someone to use a concealed weapons permit but not a student ID at the polls.
On Thursday, Lewis and 195 House colleagues wrote to all 50 secretaries of state, urging them to "serve as advocates for enfranchisement" and oppose laws that would make voting more difficult. He also raised the prospect of Congressional intervention to standardize voting laws in federal elections, though Lewis did not offer specifics and he acknowledged the effort would not go far in the Republican House.
Proponents of the ID laws, which have become more prevalent as Republicans have won control of states in recent years, say they are necessary to prevent voter fraud. Opponents argue that the minuscule number of fraud cases is not worth disenfranchising elderly or poor voters who do not have driver's licenses and would be inconvenienced in obtaining a state photo ID.
There also is a political undertone, with Democrats accusing the GOP of trying to reduce turnout among minorities and the young, who typically vote Democratic.
"Empowering people to vote, enhancing their ability to vote, ought to be our agenda, not impeding and undermining their right to vote," said Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, who appeared with Lewis and several other Democrats at a news conference announcing the letter.
The Georgia voter ID law has been on the books since 2006 and upheld repeatedly in court, most recently by the Georgia Supreme Court in May. This year the Legislature passed a bill shortening early voting from 45 to 21 days, which backers said was a cost-saving measure for counties.
Although the ID law was passed under the Sonny Purdue administration, a spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal said he supports the law.
"The only people who should be voting in Georgia are legal residents who are U.S. citizens," spokesman Brian Robinson wrote in an email. "The vast majority of Georgians have government-issued photo ID and it’s easy to obtain one for those who don’t."
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