The Democrats’ lines of attack on the Voter ID Bill, designed by the Republicans to shut out marginal (poor, elderly, ill, black) voters and to keep Jim Talent in office, are becoming more clear.
The state Democratic Party is weighing a law suit, as are some of the organizations that testified against the bill in the state House debate. In addition to the AARP, the Clergy Coalition, the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, Paraquad and student-rights groups all have a knife in this fight and grounds for filing suit against this bill and are considering doing so. They all have constituents who could be disenfranchised by this weasel of a bill.
The county clerks have their own gripe against it, since the bill kicks more work their way without funding from the state to do it. Yes, this bill has an unfunded mandate going for it, as well as good, old-fashioned, Jim Crow-style disenfranchisement.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan is launching an education campaign to tell voters in the state that they need a legal state ID if they want to vote in November. She needs help – some folks more partisan than she would be able to be – in the field, helping people through what can be the maze of documentation needed before this increasingly undemocratic state will issue you a picture identification.
Also, lawsuits will need plaintiffs. If you have any difficulty or are getting any kind of a runaround in trying to get issued a state ID, the Democratic Party wants to hear from you.
The question as always is one of leadership. Who will lead a field campaign? Will anyone pay for the field workers? Until the party and its allies on this issue answer these burning questions – November is tomorrow, when state bureaucracy is involved – potential field workers and plaintiffs can contact the American. Email kpeters@stlamerican.com or call (314) 289-5413.
We might get out in front of a national trend on this one, as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is attaching a Voter ID amendment to the immigration bill. As expected, the Republican-friendly Wall Street Journal opined dutifully in favor of this restrictive legislation on Monday.