Today’s Action: End discriminatory voter I.D. laws

Midterms are upon us! But while many voters head to the polls, thousands more are blocked from their constitutional right to vote, thanks to the GOP’s discriminatory ID laws.

In 2013, the right-leaning Supreme Court struck down the historic Voting Rights Act, which was enacted during the Civil Rights Era of the 1960’s to protect minority communities from discriminatory voting laws. Two hours later, Republicans in Texas passed a voter ID law allowing citizens to vote with a concealed carry gun permit…but not with a student ID.

Need more? Freshly unshackled Republicans in Alabama passed a law in 2015 requiring a photo I.D. to vote…while simultaneously shutting down 31 DMV offices in predominantly Black communities.

It’s time to stop Republicans from denying citizens their right to vote using I.D. laws. Check the I.D. laws in your state. Then, contact your State Legislators and demand an end to discriminatory voter I.D. laws.

But why are I.D. requirements such a powerful tool of the GOP? Because obtaining one can be difficult, requiring a birth certificate, social security card, citizenship papers, or proof of residency that many poor and elderly voters may not have access to…not to mention the money and time it takes to secure those items and the I.D. itself (especially if Alabama shut down your only DMV).

From Indivisible:

• 18 percent—or almost 6 million—citizens over the age of 65 do not have photo ID
• 16 percent of Latino voters do not have government-issued photo ID
• 25 percent of voting age African Americans—5.5 million people – do not have ID
• 15 percent of voting age Americans who earn less than $35,000 do not have ID

Republicans have replaced the literacy tests and poll taxes of the Jim Crow era with an updated I.D. barrier to keep their voters securely white and wealthy. But we’ve fought for the right to vote for all before, and now it’s time to fight again.

Check the I.D. laws in your state. Then, call or email your State legislators and demand they put a stop to laws that keep minority groups from their right to vote.