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Originally Posted by AlphaFrog
To the people that this affects, buying cold meds would be a luxury, getting on a plane a fairy tale, and opening a bank account a life-long goal (if they trust banks). Just for perspective, here.
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Exactly.
SWTXBelle, do you know how many people in this country cannot afford any type of medication, have never traveled outside of their communities (let alone traveling on an airplane), and were taught that bank accounts were either unattainable or even "bad"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlphaFrog
However, I too believe that people should have legal photo IDs to vote and have trouble believing that there isn't some sort of assistance program for those who want/need an ID. If someone is motivated to vote, then they should follow the necessary steps. Sometimes rights involve due process.
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Discrimination is based on outcome and not intent because intent usually cannot be proven. Something that makes complete sense in theory can have discriminatory outcomes. As has always been the case, there is a combination of policy makers who truly want I.D. to verify who the voter is; and there are policy makers who only want to exclude certain power minority groups that are less likely to have I.D.
There are relatively few assistance programs that effectively reach the poor and disadvantaged (which includes the physically and mentally ill). This process takes yeeeeeeears. States should not make changes and expect the practices to immediately fit the changes. That is attempting after-the-fact solutions and that never works.
If I.D. is supposed to be a requirement of American citizens, and even some rite of American passage as though every American has one from birth, the government needs to do a better job at mandating this. Then it will be true that every documented birth citizen has an I.D.--or should have an I.D.. If the government is not going to do that, it will remain the case that after-the-fact policies regarding I.D.s will be intentionally and unintentionally exclusive.
Cold medicine = arguably not a basic right of American citizenship
Traveling on a plane = arguably not a basic right of American citizenship
Having a bank account = arguably not a basic right of American citizenship
Voting = DEFINITELY a basic right of American citizenship. So, the laws and policies need to be ensure that "everyone" has access to what they need to attain this right, if they want to vote.