Really??!? I totally disagree with Kevin's assertions, but I had to replace my birth certificate about a year ago to get a passport, and just went to country records department and had a duplicate made. Are you sure you were required to go to the state capital or perhaps that's just the well-meaning, but gasoline-guzzling information you received?

I was required to go to the state capital. Everybody born in my county after a certain time period had to. They couldn't trust the records in the county records.

I have never ever heard of a birth certificate with a married name on it. It's a birth certificate - your information as of the time you were born. Your marriage license accompanies that.

I've used my birth certificate, with my marriage license (as Kevin stated, 2 things that responsible adults have and don't lose, and register at courthouses or whatever in case your personal one should ever be dstroyed in a fire or whatever) to obtain a drivers license with my married name on it, and then I was able to use that to obtain a passport.

There are so many different forms of id available, that I just dont see how not bothering to get one is really an excuse. Doesn't have to be a drivers license. Just an ID. Something maybe the public libraries should be able to issue, or something similar...

To be honest - I don't know what I heard that was truth, and what I heard that was complete BS. I dont think ALL facts are readily available to us. What facts are available are so skewed.... *sigh*

There are alot of things about voting that are completely not fair. States who's votes really dont matter, or the electoral college has it nailed befor Hawaii can even be counted. If I lived in Hawaii, I'd be mad as hell that my vote wasn't going to count once California numbers were in.....

I do quite a bit of pro bono in the juvenile deprived courts here in OKC, so I do deal with all levels of socioeconomic status and cultural/racial diversity. In fact, believe it or not, I'm a huge advocate of culturally competent approaches for Child Welfare workers and have some pretty good war stories in that department.

Thing is, my meth moms, black/latino/whatever etc., are capable of obtaining proper identification. Seriously, if these folks can do it, so can anyone in the world.

I hardly qualify as "power elite," but I'll take the compliment. I'm simply stating that obtaining proper ID, at least in Oklahoma, where all 77 counties have twice voted against Obama, where we have voter ID laws, it's not difficult to get an ID.

Yes, if you lose your birth certificate, you're going to have to jump through some hoops, but if you can make a photocopy of some acceptable form of ID, (bank records and utility records can work), you'll be fine. This can all be done by mail.

But responsible adults keep copies of these things. I don't care what your culture or race is. Stupid is not a culture or race. Speaking from experience, it knows no cultural or racial barriers.

You don't have to have any of those things in Oklahoma if you vote by absentee ballot. Truthfully speaking, the only way you fail to vote here is because of a lack of preparation or a lack of responsibility on your own part or a combination thereof.

I disagree. An 80+ year old person can arrange for transportation (most metros provide something for the elderly) to go to the proper places to obtain the proper documentation. It's not like they have jobs at that age.

From the study the DeltaBetaBaby linked:

This means that, say, you need to get an ID card, because you don't have a driver's license, but you lost your birth certificate and marriage license in a fire or flood (it's more than likely you'd lose both together). So then you have to go get a birth certificate, a copy of your marriage license, etc. etc. etc, THEN go get a state ID - this is getting nutty.

And it's not like it's that unlikely - lots of people lost everything in the floods that happened in the midwest this year. And in the tornadoes in Oklahoma. And in Hurricane Sandy. And the wildfires in Colorado.

For folks that are already disadvantaged (don't have a vehicle, the DMV isn't located in a place that's readily accessible by public transportation, the elderly are in homes where they don't do this type of transport but do transport to vote, the public transportation system in a city is unreliable) - these all add up to greater barriers to voting than you or I have. And let's remember that driving is a privilege while voting is a right.

Oklahoma and FEMA have special services set up to help folks replace lost documents in our tornadoes. I would assume that's the norm with natural disasters in the U.S..

Otherwise, if folks think it's fine to go without any form of ID including a birth certificate, an emergency/lack of preparedness on their part does not create an emergency which justifies undoing all of the very reasonable safeguards for fraud.

I may be misreading the opinion (rather, the analysis of the opinion) but I thought the main issue was the data that was being used to decide areas needing congressional oversight. (Section IV). From what I understood, if recent data is collected demonstrating an area (county, state, etc...) is not compliant with the VRA, oversight can be reinstated, because Section V still stands. So, while as of right now, the areas are not bound by Congressional oversight, it isn't necessarily the case it will remain that way. I could be making a botch of it though.

I'm from Mississippi and the VRA should have stayed the way it was. Just because no ones run off the side of a bridge we don't remove the barriers from the side. Same with bridge suicide jumpers. You see Mississippi most closely resembles a Banana Republic. It always has. Don't expect it to change.

I wasn't aware we were attempting to remain on topic :)

What makes these an acceptable form of ID? AFAIK, it's the signature. So why would you consider a photo ID obtained by matching signatures at the DMV more trustworthy than matching signatures at the polling place?

I disagree. Should we ignore reported problems in other states at the last election because we need to stay on top of problems in the south 40 years ago? I am not saying that there are no longer problems in the south. I am saying that it is a moving target. Voter intimidation has been reported in several places.

As Missouri Ivy said - part V would still be in place to monitor areas where problems have been reported, but part IV which highlighted certain counties for particular attention is not fair.

No, it's the address printed on them. All of these will work as a secondary ID in the U.S.

Consular Matricula card, Employment photo ID with either Pay stub or W2,
Bank statement or utility bill with name and current address, Social Security card (must be signed) or SSA record earnings statement with current address, US Selective Service Card, Copy of official police report related to the theft of ID with name and current address, for any person under the age of 18, an affidavit signed by the parent or legal guardian, school photo identification along with a report card or other proof of current enrollment
Oklahoma lifetime hunting or fishing license, marriage certificate (Certified English Translation, if applicable), Separation or divorce judgment, Car registration or title or security verification form issued to the applicant with current address.

How in the blue blazes we elected this retrograde thinking anti-genius makes me wonder how Mississippi is ever gonna pick Mississippi up out of the50th place:

http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/35192/