Wisconsin: Another State Bites the Dust on Voter ID

“I’m out for presidents to represent me.” It’s a good thing Nas doesn’t live in Wisconsin, because now that Governor Scott Walker has signed a voter ID bill, securing said objective will become a whole lot tougher to attain. “Say what?” Under the guise of deterring voter fraud, Wisconsin will be the eleventh state to enact a bill requiring state-issued ID to vote. Ironically, the law will require the famously cash-strapped state to issue free ID's, costing tax payers millions of dollars. On the surface, it seems logical – the magic answer to combating voter fraud is easily accomplished by issuing free voter ID cards. But wait . . . As Mike Tate, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said:

"Without any real need for this legislation, Republicans knew that it would most impact the elderly, students, shut-ins, African-Americans, Latinos and other groups that tend to vote Democratic,' he said.

"They have limited rights rather than expanding them, spent taxpayer dollars rather than saving them, grown government rather than shrinking it, and shown their distrust for democracy, rather than any love of it."

Since this is my first post for HeadCount, I’ll give you a little background about me. I’m 32, single, live in New York City, am an associate at a law firm, am partial to cabs and have no idea when my driver’s license was issued (although I know it’s current). I can barely find the time to do laundry or clean my apartment. I’ll admit that I’m high maintenance. Even with a free state ID, the burden of taking time off of work, rifling through and assembling required documents, and waiting in line at a DMV would clearly suck up a significant amount of my time. And I’m not even part of the demographic these laws are intended to discourage. For me, obtaining a free state ID would be a pain the ass. For those who have been targeted by this law, it’s more of an outright obstruction to their right to vote.