DNC Delegates Across Nation Watching Voter ID

With just 64 days until the Nov. 6 election, delegates at the Democratic National Convention are paying close attention to what is happening with voter ID laws across the country.

A series of court battles in several states may determine, everything from how people cast their votes to when polling locations will be open. The rulings could also tip the scales in favor of one party over the other.

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley wouldn't be a voter, much less governor, if it wasn't for the Voting Rights Act now jeopardized by new requirements to show picture ID when casting a ballot.

That's the view of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who spoke Monday at a handful of impromptu events at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

"I'm astonished Nikki Haley would take such a strong position against easy access to voting when she is a primary beneficiary of the Voting Rights Act,' Jackson told Patch.

The state's first female governor, Haley's parents are Indian immigrants. She was reared as a Sikh, though she converted to Christianity as an adult.

"She's a part of the wave of beneficiaries of the Voting Rights Act," Jackson said after speaking the Massachusetts delegation. "She's a person of color. She couldn't vote if I couldn't vote."

Jackson's hammering on the voter ID issue mirrored similar public comments from a handful of high-profile Democrats. They worry new ID requirements in a handful of states will make it harder for minorities to vote in November.

"The voter ID is the new Civil War battle all over the of nation," Jackson said.

Republicans say the laws are necessary to prevent voter fraud. Haley has said repeatedly that if consumers need IDs to buy certain cough medicine and to fly in an airplane, it's reasonable to require an ID to vote.

Democrats disagree and suggest Republicans have broached the issue in a widespread attempt to keep a significant portion of the Democrat's base — poor and minority voters — from voting to re-elect President Obama.

"These laws were designed to prevent certain groups of voters from participating," said Democratic National Committee Chair, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

"I sat on the Judiciary Committee for five years during the Bush Administration and the Bush Justice Department could never find any examples of fraud."

Republicans insist the current voting system is ripe for fraud, though widespread examples have been few. Haley's spokesman did not respond to a Patch request for comment on Jackson's statements.

"I think it’s so clear that it’s a political move," said former S.C. Gov. Dick Riley, a Democrat, speaking on Tuesday. "Anybody that’s fair-minded about that would say it’s definitely a political move."

Jackson suggests more than 1 million voters could be turned away from the polls or so confused by the new laws that they stay home. It's a fear echoed by South Carolina Democrats.

"I've had constituents who tell me that it's too hard to vote," said State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg "They now think it's not worth the trouble. So they won't vote and the Republicans have accomplished their mission."

Edna Bell of Detroit, Mich., said it's a form of suppression that takes the country back 60 years or more.

"One of the things the other side believes is going to stop us is the suppression that they are doing," Bell said. "But it's only going to energize us. I've heard more people talk about what they are going to do because of what the Republicans are trying to do to stop us from voting."

Bell said they have been registering people left and right to vote, because people are so angry.

One local Fayetteville Veteran, Steven Kowalski arrived at the DNC today and feels that the counting of military votes sometimes raises a suspicion with him.

"I believe the absentee military ballots are being mailed out today, it's a huge vote this year since Obama has come through on many of his promises for our military and its Veterans," said Kowalski.

Laura Mitchell of Salisbury, Md., said she has been watching the different court cases across the nation. She found the Texas case to be particularly interesting, as they put the burden of proof on the state.

"That's where it should be," Mitchell said. "My personal feeling is if you cheat to win, then you didn't really win. If a 90-year-old woman has always been able to vote and now to say because 'you were stuck in that era, you can't vote,' it's a big slide backwards."

Herbert Graves of Baltimore would agree. He said no matter what regulations or rules come down, there are still people who will vote regardless.

"If Uncle Sid has always voted and people at the precinct know Uncle Sid and he doesn't have the proper identification, regardless of what the law is, Uncle Sid will still vote in many small towns around the country."

But most everyone Patch spoke with on Monday hopes it will not disrupt the election.

Democrats begin their national convention on Tuesday in Charlotte. President Obama will accept the nomination on Thursday. Stay tuned to the Fort Bragg Patch for updates and Breaking News.