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According to the December 26th nytimes.com article, “Keeping Students From the Polls”, certain Republicans are openly admitting the move, instituting such red tape measures that include students being disallowed from registering to vote because they have out-of-state drivers' licenses, college IDs aren't valid at such and such a location, or they'd paid out of state tuition.
Allegedly, Republicans claim there is purported voter fraud which must be guarded against, and have therefore been able to pass said voting restrictions. However, said phantom ‘voter fraud' exists only in the GOP's minds.
Per the article, seven states have instituted laws which require a government-issued ID, such as a driver's license or a passport in order to be able to vote. Unfortunately, many students don't have these types of IDs. And, shockingly, another twenty seven states are thinking about instituting similar measures.
And students are just one part of the demographic Republicans hopes to trounce on in the coming election. Blacks, Hispanics, the poor and the young, who are deemed as more likely to vote for President Obama, make up a large portion of the 21 million people in the country who do not have government IDs.
Per the article, the Justice Department, in recent days, finally took a stand against the voting restrictions by blocking the voter ID law in South Carolina.
Per the article, William O'Brien, the speaker of the New Hampshire State House, was quoted as having said to a Tea Party group this year that students are “foolish” and tend to “vote their feelings” because they lack life experience. “Voting as a liberal, that's what kids do.”
Just in case you forgot, O'Brien, that's not up to you decide. Hence, the reason for the election.
O'Brien explained that he lent his support to the restrictions that disallowed students from voting from their college addresses, as well as to stop students from registering on the same day as they vote.
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Apparently, New Hampshire Republicans were even moving toward passing legislation that would have prevented students who had formerly lived somewhere else from voting in the state. However, someone must have come to their senses and the measures all failed.
This is the United States, right? Not a socialist state? Have we learned nothing from the Egyptian revolution just this year? How is it possible that an action like this is even possible in this country today? How is it possible that constitutional rights have been not just overlooked, but downright violated? The right to vote is one that was hard won by eighteen year olds just some forty years ago. The right to vote is something many have suffered for, many with their lives, to win throughout the country's history.
Aside from the actions of certain Republicans to actually attempt to restrict those who vote in the election, which can only be described as unconscionable, it's interesting that the GOP will go to such insane lengths to fix the election – cause, sorry guys, that's what you're doing. They must be awfully afraid that Obama will win again.
Again, I say, students beware. Don't allow your right to vote to be taken away from you without a fight. We've all come too far, and fought too hard, to allow such a thing to happen.
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