While controversy rages across the country over whether computerized voting machines may result in lost or manipulated votes, there is another change in the election system this year that could lead to lost voting rights: Some people who show up at the polls will now have to show identification in order to cast a ballot. The federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) requires first-time voters in a “jurisdiction” who register by mail and who do not include verification with their registration form to present identification. The identification can be a photo ID, utility bill, bank statement or government document that shows the name and address of the voter. Despite the apparent limited reach of the new requirement, there is already evidence that it could lead to disenfranchisement of minority voters in particular.
Officials in South Dakota are investigating complaints from voters–primarily from counties in which Indian reservations are located–that they were not allowed to vote in the June primary when they could not produce photo identification, as is required for all voters under a recently passed South Dakota law. Although poll workers were also required by law to offer such voters affidavit ballots, they did not do so and simply turned them away.
Similar complaints came out of the Ohio primary in March. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the voter-empowerment coordinator for the NAACP received at least fifty phone calls from black voters who were required to present identification in Cuyahoga County–a suspiciously high number considering that, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, a total of only 185 voters in the whole jurisdiction were required under HAVA to present identification. A leader of the Greater Cleveland Voter Registration Coalition also received such calls from black voters.
In Mississippi, a state with a long history of creating hurdles for minority voters, a bitterly partisan dispute over enacting a voter ID requirement for all voters–not just the narrow group identified in HAVA–rekindled conflicts from the not-so-distant past about racial discrimination at the polls. Most white legislators argued that this is a sensible anti-fraud measure. But African-American legislators reminded their colleagues of the barriers minority voters have had to overcome throughout American history, especially in the South, such as poll taxes and literacy tests. The voter identification requirement, they said, represents a new obstacle that is likely to fall disproportionately on minority voters. Mississippi blacks remember that as recently as 1993, the governor wanted to require people registering under the new motor-voter law–intended to make registration easier for minorities–to show identification.
There are many ways an ID requirement can be used to disqualify people from voting. For example, poll workers might–purposely or inadvertently–fail to give voters the complete list of alternative nonphoto IDs HAVA allows the voter to present. Also, any person who cannot present acceptable identification is supposed to be offered an affidavit or provisional ballot. But that may not happen–as in the South Dakota case–or even if it does, depending on state law and whether the voter voted in the right precinct, that ballot might not be counted. In addition, other voters might not have the kind of identification required by the law. For example, it is not unusual for only one spouse to be listed on household bills or for low-income people, senior citizens, people with disabilities and students not to have driver’s licenses, bank accounts or paychecks. States can spell out in their implementation rules the many types of documents that can be construed to meet this requirement. In California, the secretary of state has said this includes such items as a student ID card, public housing ID card, drug prescription or tax return. But other states may interpret the types of acceptable identification more narrowly, and some voters could simply find themselves disenfranchised.
Finally, there has long been concern among civil rights advocates that election officials and poll workers might selectively enforce the HAVA identification provision–say by only asking minority voters to produce documentation. The nation is–justifiably–focused on the problems of the machines voters will be using this fall. In the meantime, however, let’s not forget about the problems that may prevent voters from entering the booth in the first place.
Wakati mabishano yanaendelea nchini kote kuhusu kama mashine za kupiga kura za kompyuta zinaweza kusababisha kura zilizopotea au zilizobadilishwa, kuna mabadiliko mengine katika mfumo wa uchaguzi mwaka huu ambayo yanaweza kusababisha haki za kupiga kura kupotea: Watu wengine ambao wanaonekana kwenye kura sasa watalazimika kuonyesha kitambulisho ili kupiga kura. Sheria ya Marekani ya Msaada wa Kura ya 2002 (HAVA) inahitaji wapiga kura wa kwanza katika mamlaka ya Marekani ambao wanasajili kwa barua na ambao hawajumuishi uthibitisho na fomu yao ya usajili ili kuwasilisha kitambulisho. Kitambulisho cha mtu kinaweza kuwa kitambulisho cha picha, muswada wa huduma, taarifa ya benki au hati ya serikali inayoonyesha jina na anwani ya mpiga kura. Licha ya kuonekana kuwa na uwezo mdogo wa kutangaza sheria hiyo mpya, kuna ushahidi kwamba inaweza kuwafanya wapiga kura wa jamii ndogo-ndogo waondolewe haki zao. Maafisa wa jimbo la South Dakota wanachunguza malalamiko ya wapiga kura - hasa kutoka wilaya ambazo hifadhi za Wahindi ziko - kwamba hawakuruhusiwa kupiga kura katika uchaguzi wa Juni wakati hawakuweza kutoa kitambulisho cha picha, kama inavyotakiwa kwa wapiga kura wote chini ya sheria ya hivi karibuni ya South Dakota. Ingawa wafanyakazi wa uchaguzi pia walihitajika kwa sheria kuwapa wapiga kura hao kura za kiapo, hawakufanya hivyo na tu waliwafukuza. Malalamiko kama hayo yalitokea katika uchaguzi wa msingi wa Ohio mwezi Machi. "Kulingana na ripoti ya Cleveland Plain Dealer, ""mratibu wa nguvu za wapiga kura kwa NAACP alipokea angalau simu hamsini kutoka kwa wapiga kura weusi ambao walihitaji kuwasilisha kitambulisho katika Kaunti ya Cuyahoga, idadi ya kushangaza ikiwa inazingatia kwamba, kulingana na Bodi ya Uchaguzi ya Kaunti ya Cuyahoga, jumla ya wapiga kura 185 tu katika mamlaka nzima walihitajiwa chini ya HAVA kuwasilisha kitambulisho.""" Kiongozi wa Greater Cleveland Voter Registration Coalition pia alipokea simu kama hizo kutoka kwa wapiga kura weusi. Katika jimbo la Mississippi, ambalo lina historia ndefu ya kuunda vizuizi kwa wapiga kura wa wachache, mzozo mkali wa chama juu ya kuanzisha mahitaji ya kitambulisho cha wapiga kura kwa wapiga kura wote - sio tu kikundi kidogo kilichojulikana katika HAVA - kilizalisha tena migogoro kutoka zamani zisizo mbali kuhusu ubaguzi wa rangi kwenye kura. Wabunge wengi weupe walidai kwamba hii ni hatua ya busara ya kupambana na udanganyifu. Lakini wabunge wa Kiafrika-Wamarekani waliwakumbusha wenzake juu ya vizuizi ambavyo wapiga kura wachache wamelazimika kushinda katika historia ya Marekani, haswa Kusini, kama vile ushuru wa kura na vipimo vya kusoma na kuandika. "Wanasema kwamba mahitaji ya utambulisho wa wapiga kura yanawakilisha kizuizi kipya ambacho kinaweza kuanguka kwa kiasi kikubwa kwa wapiga kura wa wachache. """ "Wamarekani wa Mississippi walianza kuamua kuamua kuamua kuwa ""mwenyeji wa Mississippi"" walipaswa kuandikishwa kwa sheria mpya ya magari ya kupiga kura, ambayo ilikusudiwa kuwezesha uandikishaji kwa watu wachache." Kuna njia nyingi mahitaji ya kitambulisho inaweza kutumika disqualify watu kutoka kupiga kura. Kwa mfano, wafanyakazi wa uchaguzi wanaweza - kwa makusudi au bila kukusudia - kushindwa kuwapa wapiga kura orodha kamili ya vitambulisho vingine visivyo na picha ambavyo HAVA inaruhusu mpiga kura kuwasilisha. Pia, mtu yeyote ambaye hawezi kuonyesha utambulisho unaokubalika anapaswa kupewa taarifa ya kiapo au kura ya muda. Lakini hiyo inaweza isitokee - kama katika kesi ya South Dakota - au hata ikiwa inafanya, kulingana na sheria ya jimbo na kama mpiga kura alipiga kura katika wilaya sahihi, kura hiyo inaweza kutohesabiwa. Kwa kuongezea, huenda wapiga kura wengine wasiwe na aina ya utambulisho unaohitajika na sheria. Kwa mfano, ni kawaida kwa mwenzi mmoja tu kuorodheshwa kwenye bili za kaya au kwa watu wenye mapato ya chini, wazee, watu wenye ulemavu na wanafunzi kutokuwa na leseni za kuendesha gari, akaunti za benki au malipo ya mshahara. Mataifa yanaweza kueleza katika sheria zao za utekelezaji aina nyingi za nyaraka ambazo zinaweza kuelezwa ili kukidhi mahitaji haya. "Katika California, Katibu wa Jimbo amesema hii inajumuisha vitu kama vile kadi ya kitambulisho cha mwanafunzi, kadi ya kitambulisho cha makazi ya umma, dawa za kulevya au taarifa ya kodi. """ Lakini majimbo mengine yanaweza kutafsiri aina za kitambulisho kinachokubalika kwa njia nyembamba zaidi, na baadhi ya wapiga kura wanaweza kujikuta wamenyimwa haki zao. Hatimaye, kumekuwa na wasiwasi kwa muda mrefu miongoni mwa watetezi wa haki za kiraia kwamba maafisa wa uchaguzi na wafanyakazi wa uchaguzi wanaweza kuchagua kutekeleza utambulisho wa HAVA - sema kwa kuwauliza tu wapiga kura wa wachache kutoa nyaraka. Taifa ni <unk>justifiably<unk>ililenga matatizo ya mashine wapiga kura itakuwa kutumia vuli hii. Wakati huo huo, hata hivyo, hebu tusisahau kuhusu matatizo ambayo yanaweza kuzuia wapiga kura kuingia kwenye kibanda kwanza.