The tweaking of voting laws in 23 states, including photo identification laws, requirements to prove citizenship and attempts to purge “non-citizens” from voter rolls, could have a "disproportionate effect" on the ability of people of color to vote in the upcoming election. In fact, these changes might dissuade up to 10 million Hispanics alone from voting, according to a report released September 24 from the Advancement Project.
“State after state moved to obstruct the ability of millions of Latino citizens to participate in our democracy,” said Advancement Project Co-Director Judith Browne Dianis. “This concerted effort targeting Latinos and other voters of color not only undermines the principles of our constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, but also impairs the fundamental American value of ensuring all citizens have an equal voice.”
The report, "Segregating American Citizenship: Latino Voter Disenfranchisement in 2012," notes that Hispanic voters (President Obama won 67 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2008, according to exit polls) could make the difference in a tight presidential race, especially in battlegrounds such as Colorado, Florida, and Nevada where there is a surge in the Latino population.
In 2010, Latinos made up more than 10 percent of the nation’s eligible voters and 8 percent of registered voters, according to the 2010 Census. Yet of the 21.3 million eligible Latino voters in 2010, more than 14.5 million were either unregistered or simply didn’t vote. “Since 2010, more than 3.7 million Latinos became eligible to naturalize as citizens, and an additional one million young Latino citizens became eligible to vote at age 18. All told, the potential Latino electorate could top 25 million voters, or 12.2 percent of the nation’s total eligible voters,” according to the Advancement Project report.
But the new study states: “Voter suppression laws and policies threaten to relegate eligible Latino voters to second-class citizenship and impede their ability to participate fully in American democracy.”
The report points to an onslaught of new state-level voting restrictions intended to lessen participation by these Latinos and other eligible voters of color. Currently, 16 states target naturalized citizens on voter “purge lists,” with requirements to prove citizenship effective in three states, and strict photo ID laws effective in nine states, according to the study. The report notes that, “An estimated 16 percent of Latinos do not possess a requisite photo ID, compared to six percent of non-Hispanic whites, and the targeted voters include a vast majority of purging for Latino, African American, or Asian American.”
Last month, a three-judge federal appellate court in Texas struck down that state’s voter ID law, unanimously ruling the law placed “strict unforgiving burdens on the poor” noting the state’s arguments in defense of the law as “unpersuasive, invalid, or both.” Currently Pennsylvania's voter ID law is also making its way through the courts.
“America is an increasingly diverse nation, but ballot access should be identical for each citizen regardless of race or country of origin,” said Katherine Culliton-González, director of Advancement Project’s Voter Protection Program.
Latinos now increase their role as a voting bloc, comprising more than 12 percent of the nation’s eligible voters and 8 percent of registered voters. Nearly half (45 percent) of the nation’s Hispanic population lives in just 10 metropolitan areas and over 75 percent live in 60 of the largest Hispanic metropolitan areas, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center. Of those Top Ten, three are in Texas, one in Florida, and one in Arizona.
According to the Advancement Project, the new laws - viewed as discriminatory voting policies - threaten to undermine the participation of millions of Latino citizens during the 2012 elections since the number of Latino voters in many states affected by these policies exceeds the margin of victory of the 2008 presidential election.
Comments
Disagree Completely
I have to disagree with everything you are talking about because it makes no sense. First of all, why is it so evil to make people show their photo ID when casting their vote? When I went to vote a year ago, I said my name, pointed to it on their sheet and then went into the booth to vote. I could have been anyone because there was nothing I had to show to prove it. You need to have an ID to buy cigarettes, alcohol, sudafed and when a cop pulls you over, but not to vote for our president? That is completely illogical and ridiculous. There is no problem with having "citizens" of the United States show their photo ID in order to vote. Also, how is requiring citizens to show their ID to vote racist and problematic for Hispanics? According to the DMV website, the states you named charge ID cards $12 in Arizona, $25 in Florida and $16 in Texas. That is very cheap for anyone, especially since the person had to show their ID when they registered to vote. It is not fair for someone to walk up to a voting booth with nothing on them and vote without any identification at all. I, along with many others, am not alone when saying that we do not want another person to cast a vote for us. It is my right as an American to vote, and if I need to show my ID to prove I am a citizen then that is fine with me. Thank you for the topic and analysis, but I could not disagree with you more.
My response to Issue of the Week #33
This article is very interesting. I feel that this article is not asking if, but accusing these new voter laws of “blocking people of color from voting” (Barber). The author should write instead that these laws are racist because that is what I feel is implied. That is not the subject though. What I think Barber is trying to say, is that these laws will inhibit minorities from voting. The author talks about African Americans, and Asians, but brings up Latinos the most. The author must feel that of the minorities the Latino population will have the largest voice in the upcoming presidential election. This is understandable because Latino’s are the largest ethnic minority in the United States. Barber also says that most Hispanics voted for Obama in the 2008 election. So will these new laws also hurt Obama? I would be interesting to watch a speech or an interview about Obama's opinion on these new voting laws. On a side note, are these laws are racist, because they certainly do seem discriminatory. In my opinion I do not think these laws are racist because they affect all people who do not have proof of citizenship or photo I.D. I would say that these laws negatively affect all the people below the poverty line more than any racial or ethnic group, because it’s the poor that do not have the money or time to get an I.D. These laws should be reconsidered by the states that enforce them.
This article on voter
This article on voter identification makes me wonder how the elections worked in the 2008 election. How would “Non-citizens” vote in the presidential election if they were not citizens? To me, I feel like having an ID to vote in a presidential election should be a given. Although it may be a little difficult for some to acquire a driver’s license, it is very easy to get an Identification card from the DMV and I’m sure it’s not too expensive to get as well. With that identification, voters would be ready to show the information required to vote. Please keep in mind that this election would be my first to be participating in (so please correct me if I’m wrong) and I already have in mind to bring my Identification with me to prove that I am eligible to vote in the election. What I am against is the fact that 16 states are requiring naturalized citizens of all races (whether it be Asian, African, or Latino) to submit to “purge lists” with more requirements and obstacles to vote for their president. Shouldn’t we encourage our new fellow (naturalized) citizens to experience what our democracy is all about? When almost ¾ of an eligible voter group doesn’t vote, they either are not well educated on the candidates or don’t know how to go through the voting process and we should encourage these people to vote. I don’t think these laws are racist to the extent that this article is arguing, but I do think that we should encourage and educate our new citizens to vote and not punish them by putting them on these “purge lists”.
Issue of the Week #33
I always get this feeling that the US as a country is always contradicting to what they want their image to be out in the world. US is always amongst the top countries in terms of economics, freedom, education, etc, but news like these are the ones that actually makes me question the country again and again. I get this feeling that US is always trying to promote their image out to the world as the place to be, as the place that is so diverse in everything, but in reality, it always seems that because of racial issues, minorities end up being "harassed." If US is the melting pot, but at the same time, only "white citizens" are allowed to vote, what is the point of all this? What's the point in allowing people from different countries to be naturalized American citizens?
ID to Vote
I do not believe that this article makes very much sense. It seems like common knowledge that you would need an ID to vote in a Presidential Election. Without proof of your citizenship you should not have the right to vote for our President. I do not believe that it is discrimination, I believe that it is common sense. I do not understand how the "non-citizens" were able to vote in the 2008 election. I have many problems with this article and its statements. It makes the US sound intolerant and racist when really it is just trying to protect the integrity of its democratic system. People illegally living in our country have no right to vote. Therefore, I strongly agree with the idea that you should need to show proof of citizenship or an ID in order to vote in our presidential election regardless of what the outcome would be on the vote.
Hmm
Personally, I think that "non-citizens" should not be allowed to vote. Sure they live here, but illegally. I think that it is wrong to live in any country illegally. I think that it targets at Hispanics because Mexico shares a border with us. My grandparents came here from Nicaragua so I am for starting a better life in another country. I think that it is important that people get their citizenships or at least be able to prove that they are in the process of getting it done. If people did not have any identification with them in the voting booth then they could vote as who ever and vote as many times as they wanted. I think that it is just a precaution in order to avoid having this cause a bigger problem in the future. We have to show our ID for when we buy a lot of things, like alcohol, and cigarettes and even to see a rated R movie. I don't see what the big deal is with having an ID, as long as your a citizen.
I don't know much about this
I don't know much about this subject because i'm not registered to vote, but i will say that i don't think that having an ID to vote should be mandatory, but definitely a birth certificate to prove that the voter lives in the United States.