Recently, state-issued photo ID has been required in order vote since the law passed in the Texas legislature. This law has caused controversy as it brings up the question over the state’s power in the regulation of elections. “While pending review within the judicial system, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Shelby County v. Holder, which effectively ended all pending litigation. As a result, voters are now required to present an approved form of photo identification in order to vote in all Texas Elections” (votetexas.gov). The U.S. Supreme Court struck down on Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in the Shelby County v. Holder case.
The United States of America has a rich history filled with success, failure, courage, and drive. Millions have come seeking the “American Dream” and to live in the land of the free. The past is what has shaped this nation’s present and future. Yet, as time drifts, the world around us changes. What was once deemed acceptable can now seem outdated in today’s society.
Realization, love, and loss of innocence have the ability to change one’s meaning of importance. In the story “Papa’s Parrot” by Cynthia Rylant the main character Harry does exactly that. In “Papa’s Parrot”, Harry always went to Mr. Tillian’s (his dad’s) candy and nut shop after school. A little bit later in the story, Harry entered high school, and started going to other stores with his friends rather than going to Mr. Tillian’s shop. Mr. Tillian would be waiting at his shop to see if Harry came, but Harry didn’t come as often.
Alexander Hamilton’s essay, The Federalist 58, was an attempt to convince the state of New York to ratify the constitution. The essay explained the plan the framers of the Constitution put in place to elect the president. The people would vote for the candidate they supported, but ultimately the president would be selected by a group of 538 electors who were appointed by the people. This group is known as the Electoral College. The Framers of the Constitution chose to use the Electoral College as the method for selecting the president as it assured that the president would be capable and qualified, eliminated corruption, and lessened turmoil in the election process.
“In November of 2011, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 14, creating a new requirement for voters to show photo identification while voting in person. While pending review within the judicial system, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Shelby County v. Holder, which effectively ended all pending litigation. As a result, voters are now required to present an approved form of photo identification in order to vote in all Texas Elections.” (1) When a voter arrives at a polling location, the voter will be asked to present one of the seven acceptable forms of photo ID. Then, the voter will be put through a secondary precaution which is the official list of registered voters also know as the, “OLRV”.
Voter ID laws are two sided, but most Americans feel that it is necessary to prevent voter fraud. Republicans feel that an individual should already have a state ID because this is required by so many government agencies. Unfortunately, the Democrats are the ones to be most likely affected due to their voters’ economic status, disabilities and age. Whereas, Democrats believe that it is a tactic to defer their supporters from voting.
This is an issue that occurred in the aforementioned 2000 Presidential election, which created several controversies. During that election, George W. Bush of the Republican Party attained 50,456,002 popular votes and won 271 electoral votes, while his competitor Al Gore of the Democratic Party won the popular vote by 50,999,897 votes and only won 266 electoral votes. With such a small margin of victory in both the popular and electoral votes, there is no wonder why this election is highly contested. Considering this particular event, without the ability for citizens to see their vote directly influence an election, some consider not voting at all. In fact, it is well known that on average 40% of the U.S. population choose to opt out of participating on Election Day.
In my essay I will provide three reasons why I do not believe Texas is operating within a democracy-a political system where the many rule. According to Author Robert Dahl, a democracy should provide opportunities for effective participation, equality in voting and inclusion of adults. There are socioeconomic factors- such ethnicity, education and income which are mentioned by author of our textbook, that impact voter participation. To begin, let’s look at the role a person ethnicity plays in a democracy. Next, examine the level of education and how it correlates to voting.
The Texas Voter ID Law was put passed in 2011 and implemented in 2013.The law states that in order to vote each citizen must present one of the seven forms of identification. Any of the following would be considered an acceptable form of identification: Texas driver license, Texas personal identification card, a Texas Election identification certificate, Texas concealed handgun license, a United States passport, a United state military identification card that has the person’s photo, and a United States citizenship certificate that has the person’s photo. I believe that the Texas Voter ID Law is consistent with the federal standards, the law will not affect the voter turnout by much in Texas, and I do think that requiring a photo ID to vote is a good policy. The U.S. Constitution and federal laws place limits on the state’s power to establish
This unfamiliarity and thought of the process being confusing deters the younger people from registering to vote in the first place. By removing this process, voters can just show up to cast their votes and move on with their day without worrying about this potentially confusing process. These three methods combined could increase the voter turnout for each
According to Kristen Clarke, “linking the right to vote to the presentation of specific photo identification significantly burdens that right and denies minority voters equal and unfettered access to the political process” (9). This means that voters lacking a photo ID would be limited and could not exercise their right to vote. Lizette agrees, stating that “Election experts say minorities, poor people and students -- who tend to skew Democratic -- are among those least likely to have valid driver 's licenses, the most prevalent form of identification” (A1). The result of these requirements could affect the democratic votes of an
Throughout the recent years the majority of the able voting population are exercising their privilege to vote. Even during the presidential elections the voter turnout rate was 50% or less than that. The act of voting should be a personal responsibility of every citizen meaning it should be a obligation. But to specify on this statement, it should not lawfully required to vote because people also have the right not to vote too (and it would be weakening personal liberties) , but it should be a personal responsibility for citizens if they are to complain about how the government run rather than every citizen. A personal responsibility is when we are the cause of our own actions.
A voting U.S. citizen does not directly elect the President and Vice President; instead, these voters directly elect designated intermediaries called "electors," who almost always have pledged to vote for particular presidential and vice presidential candidates. Many Americans believe that their vote directly affects who leads the election but that is simply not true. They are voting for their state Electoral College to vote for that candidate. The Electoral College was made way back when, so it has its pros and cons. Is this the right way to vote for the president of the United States.
There is a strict and non-strict identification process. In the non-strict process the voter can vote by signing an affidavit of identity. Voters without id can vote but the officials will determine at the close of business if they are a registered voter (Underhill, 2017). The voter id laws effects members of our society that are considered less fortunate or the lower class of their rights.
Second, anyone who is caught committing voter fraud will be punished severely. This includes attempting to fraudulently get an ID, attempting to vote under someone else’s name, or any other kind of voter fraud. Consequences will include being banned from voting or holding any government office forever, potentially a fine or jail time. Requiring photo ID to vote is a highly debated topic on both the national and state level. Many argue that voter ID would go against the freedoms listed in the constitution.
