Voter Id | featured news

Dozens of states, including Mississippi, have changed their election procedures. Some states require voters to show government-issued photo IDs. Others have reduced the time period when voters can cast ballots early and have imposed new limits on third-party groups that register new voters... Opponents, mostly Democrats and civil rights groups, say the changes will suppress turnout, particularly among blacks, the elderly and the poor.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court cast doubt Tuesday on whether that state can enforce its new photo ID law for the November election, as it told a trial judge to take a skeptical look at whether registered voters will be denied the right to cast a ballot.

In our view, however, there is a more compelling explanation for the apparent apathy on this issue. It's not that no one cares about voter suppression. But to rise above the other issues of the day -- and to transcend the inhibiting language that has framed the debate left and right -- voters will need to know what only to think about voter suppression but also what they can do.

An Iowa judge today froze emergency rules to verify the eligibility of about 3,500 voters until a lawsuit is resolved. An Iowa judge today froze emergency rules to verify the eligibility of about 3,500 voters until a lawsuit is resolved.

Polk County District Judge Mary Pat Gunderson issued a temporary injunction against the two rules, which Secretary of State Matt Schultz enacted in July, says the Des Moines Register.

A federal court on Thursday blocked a Texas law that would require voters to show photo identification before casting ballots, saying the measure would likely curtail the ability of minorities to vote in the November 6 presidential election.

A Pennsylvania judge upheld the state’s strict voter ID law today, rejecting civil rights group’s claims that the law will disenfranchise thousands of voters... Republican House Majority Leader Mike Turzai made waves in June when he said at the Republican State Committee meeting that the voter ID law “is going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania.”

New laws in 10 states requiring voters to show IDs could present serious challenges to voters without financial resources and transportation, according to a report released Wednesday.

Stricter laws, like those that require photo identification, do seem to decrease voter turnout by about 2 percent, and the effects are worse for Democrats - though not as bad as some imply.

The federal government has granted Florida election officials access to a database of noncitizen residents for use in Republican-backed efforts to remove people who are not American citizens from voter registration rolls.

Democrats and voting rights groups fear that ID laws could suppress votes among people who may not typically have a driver's license, and disproportionately affect the elderly, poor and minorities. While the number of votes is a small percentage of the overall total, they have the potential to sway a close election. Remember that the 2000 presidential race was decided by a 537-vote margin in Florida. A Republican leader in Pennsylvania said recently that the state's new ID law would allow Romney to win the state over President Barack Obama.