League of Women Voters of South Carolina President Barbara Zia strongly denounced passage of the “voter photo identification” bill in the state General Assembly and calls on Governor Haley to veto this legislation.
The legislation requires eligible citizens to present specific government-issued photo identification in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote. This is an expensive new government program that will create barriers to voting for thousands of citizens in an effort to “fix” a problem that doesn’t exist.
… “Any proposal that restricts voter registration or raises barriers to voting is a fear-based approach instead of a fact-based solution.
“When one takes a closer look behind the political smokescreen, it is clear that this bill’s restrictions will disproportionately impact those who are least likely to have a current photo ID: the elderly, young people, people of color, rural voters and low income individuals.
“In modern society, it is easy to assume that everyone has appropriate ID. But it is more difficult than one might think. The costs in time and money of obtaining a photo ID, including the required underlying documents, will clearly discourage voter participation. Our state government should be in the business of making it easier for citizens to vote, not adding costly restrictions and hassles that will negatively impact all voters.”