( CNN ) -- Dorothy Cooper is a 96-year-old African-American resident of Chattanooga , Tennessee . She was born in a small town in northern Georgia before women could vote and when Jim Crow laws mandated racial segregation . Her life has spanned nearly a century of progress : The 19th Amendment extended suffrage to women , the Civil Rights movement led to the dismantling of segregation laws , and the Voting Rights Act outlawed overt racial discrimination in elections . Mrs. Cooper has always honored this past by voting . In 70 years , she has missed only one election , in 1960 , because a move made her miss the registration deadline . Despite living through an era when African-Americans were routinely turned away from the ballot box -- and worse -- Mrs. Cooper said she `` never had any problems '' exercising her rights . Even before the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 . Until now . Last week Tennessee effectively prohibited her from voting because of the state 's new photo ID requirement . In 2011 , Republicans in Tennessee passed a law requiring all voters to show current , government-issued photo identification before voting in person . Mrs. Cooper has a Social Security card and a photo ID issued by the Chattanooga Police Department for seniors in her housing complex . When she went to the Tennessee Driver Service Center to obtain a new photo ID before the next election , she came prepared . She had her rent receipt , a copy of her lease , voter registration card and birth certificate . But under the new Republican law , this still was n't good enough . Tennessee refused to issue Mrs. Cooper a photo ID because the last name on her birth certificate is different from her married name , the name she uses now . But she has no marriage certificate , so she can not clear up the discrepancy to Tennessee 's satisfaction . And so she can not enter a voting booth and have her vote counted . In support of photo ID laws , Republicans have argued that everyone has a photo ID -- a claim that Mrs. Cooper 's story squarely disproves . Mrs. Cooper has proved her identity beyond a shadow of a doubt , and it 's still not enough . Under this new Republican regime , her voting rights are entirely dependent on bureaucratic whims and one missing piece of paper . If only the GOP cared as much about the Constitution , Mrs. Cooper would n't have suffered this injustice and would continue to enjoy her fundamental right to vote . Mrs. Cooper 's experience is shocking , but because of an unprecedented wave of GOP legislation restricting ballot access across the country , this is not an isolated incident . In 2011 , Republicans have pushed through photo ID mandates , reductions of early voting and restrictions on voter registration . These measures disproportionately harm communities of color , young voters , poor voters and voters with disabilities . And all too often , they harm the elderly . Throughout the United States , 18 % of people age 65 and over -- more than 6 million Americans -- lack a current government-issued photo ID . In Wisconsin , which also passed a strict photo ID measure , there have been numerous reports of elderly citizens waiting hours to obtain an ID for voting . Republicans have disingenuously claimed that photo ID laws are necessary to prevent election fraud , but state and federal laws already do that . Many states have effectively addressed the Republicans ' concerns with alternative methods of affirming one 's identify , such as signing an affidavit attesting that you are eligible to vote . Nevertheless , Republican legislators across the country are needlessly pursuing photo ID laws , at the risk of disenfranchising millions of eligible Americans . In Pennsylvania , where Republicans are currently pushing a photo ID mandate , new legislation could prevent 340,000 older Pennsylvanians from voting -- more than the total population of Pittsburgh . If this is how Republicans thank the Greatest Generation , elderly veterans and amazing women like Dorothy Cooper , I sure hope they do n't try to take care of me when I 'm older . Mrs. Cooper has always displayed a remarkable commitment to our democracy . It is time that we do same . This weekend , we dedicate a national memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. We may have thought that restrictions on the right to vote were behind us . But in 2011 , Republican leaders are more interested in protecting themselves from defeat than protecting a citizen 's right to vote . As Mrs. Cooper 's experience shows us , photo ID mandates simply do n't work -- unless , of course , your goal is to prevent eligible Americans from voting . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile .
Donna Brazile : 96-year-old Tennessee woman lacks papers required for new voter ID law . She says the woman had voted for 70 years ; the new mandate disenfranchises her . She says GOP push for voter ID 's is affecting the elderly , the poor and minorities . Comment: The Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that states can require voters to show photo identification at polling places if they want a ballot or other form of official proof of identity ( such as a drivers license GOP leaders are more interested in winning than protecting citizens ' right to vote .