Voter ID law is a law that requires people to have some sort of identification in order to vote or receive a ballot for an election. Currently, voter ID laws are placed in 30 states, in the United States of America. Voter ID law was passed in Texas by the Governor Rick Perry in 2011. Texas law recognizes government issued photo ID and weapons permits but not college ID which raises a problem that the law is not favorable to the young voters when there is so less amount of votes from young voters in the first place.
Now that we have covered the base ground, I will share my opinion on this matter. I believe that the voter ID laws will even lower the amount of votes all around the America when it is low already unless it is a presidential election. I believe that the voter ID law should be gone.
I understand that this law was passed so that we know the registered voter is who he says he is and not an impersonator trying to cast a ballot in someone else's name. But I strongly oppose against this law. I believe that this law affects negatively on elderly, minority, and low-income groups. As the class mentioned, obtaining photo ID can be costly to some people. Even the documents like birth certificate can cost up to $20 to receive and $20 can be very costly to some people. I have been to a position like this and I can honestly say that every penny was important to me at this time and had I still been in that environment, I wouldn't give a crap about voting. The problem is that people are already less likely to vote in the first place especially in an occasion like tomorrow which is an election on Joint General and Special Elections. In class today, only 3 people raised their hand who said they would vote tomorrow. 3 out of about 40 people is less than 10%. I can't assume that it will be like this all around the Texas tomorrow but the amount of votes tomorrow is probably not a lot at all. If this is the case, I don't get why the government of Texas is restricting even more people from voting with their stupid voter ID law. If anything, I think they should come up with a solution that will help people of the United States be more enthusiastic about voting more than anything else. I especially don't get why they're restricting college students from voting with their college ID. It costs to get college IDs first of all, but the poor students who owe millions of dollars in debt have to pay extra to get the voter ID? I don't think so.
Another problem with this voter ID law is that it makes harder for women to vote. Women who have changed their name, after marriage or divorce, will be discouraged from voting. If the voter's name does not precisely match the name on the list of registered voters, apparently it is up to election officer at the station to determine whether she can vote or not. These women will either be turned away or allowed to vote provisionally with their ballot set aside. They have a week to return to the registrar's office with a proper document such as birth certificate. Imagine elderly lady who doesn't drive anymore and who stays at nursing home. They will probably come in buses or taxis with just their voter registration card because that was all they needed until this year. Imagine them having to go back home sadly, having achieved nothing. How much pain must people go through to make the country better by voting?
When I was in South Korea, I learned that the United States of America was about freedom: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the right to keep and bear arms, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, right to vote, etc. If we do not have the total freedom to vote for our own people, who we vote so that our lives might just be better and safe, then is the United States of America really standing up for their freedom as they say?
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