I would like to propose a new restriction on Student Government Association elections here at Furman: each student must be required to show their birth certificate in order to vote. Never mind the fact that many students at Furman are busy with their studies, extracurriculars, and may hail from far-away states and countries, I think it is important that every student must prove who they are before they can cast a vote. Any person could steal another student’s user ID and password, log onto First Class, and register a vote for any Joe Schmo. I’m sure the students will go out of their way to find their birth certificate in order to vote. Or they won’t.
A new bill signed into law by Governor Nikki Haley on May 18th will require future voters to show either a South Carolina driver’s license, a photo ID issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles, a military ID, or a passport before they can cast a ballot in elections. Currently, citizens in our state only must show a voter registration card to vote. The problem is that 178,175 registered voters do not have a photo ID in the state of South Carolina, according to the state’s Election Commission.
In order to get a photo ID from the state of South Carolina, a citizen must have a birth certificate, marriage license, divorce decree, or adoption papers. These requirements, however, can be costly and time consuming. For those without a birth certificate, getting a state-issued ID is no easy task. Additionally, all information on a birth certificate must be correct, and many citizens in the state have birth certificates with incorrect information listed. Many citizens do not have the time or money to acquire the appropriate documents to obtain a state-issued ID.
Voter ID has been one of the hottest topics in legislation for this electoral go-around. Proposed laws began to show up in state legislatures around the country after the 2008 election, and more states have begun to contemplate and implement voter ID laws leading up to the 2012 election.
The South Carolina Republican Party, led by Governor Haley, has championed this cause. They cite voter fraud in the state as the reason for the law. However, there have been no documented cases of voter fraud at the polls here in South Carolina, according to the state’s Election Commission. In fact, despite multiple recounts, decades of “fair” voting in the state, and millions upon millions of votes casted, not a single case of voting fraud has emerged from the books.
Proponents of the bill claim that just because voter fraud has not been detected or proven yet does not mean it cannot or is not happening. This fallacy is easy and populist, yet its logic falls apart upon further consideration. Maybe I have read on the internet that all the oil companies are getting together in back rooms of restaurants to set oil prices at levels that ignore the market. I have no evidence of collusion, but look at the prices of gasoline! And hey, the Internet said it was true. These laws are based on the notion that voter suppression is a legitimate way to win an election.
Proponents of the bill also argue that one cannot cash a check, board a plane, or even buy medicine filled with pseudoephedrine without a photo ID, and therefore it is reasonable to require one for voting. Voting, however, is a fundamental right, not a privilege. None of these other actions are similarly represented in our Federal Constitution by six different amendments. Our expansion of voting rights in the 20th century to women, minorities, and young people were historic steps in the right direction for our country, and these new voter ID laws are nothing but a step backwards.
The good news (or bad news, depending on your perspective) is that because the state of South Carolina has a history of disenfranchising voters, the United States Department of Justice must pre-clear any changes to voting laws in the state. The law’s legitimacy now depends on a ruling from the Department of Justice that should occur sometime in the fall. Advocacy organizations in the state are now collecting personal stories and affidavits from those who do not have IDs, in order to show the Department of Justice that this law will unduly burden people in the state, preventing them from casting their ballot in future elections and practicing their Constitutional right to participate in our country’s electoral system.
