Letter: Voter ID Laws Wrong
In his letter “Voter ID Rules Are Not Suppressing Voters”, on September 27, David A. Erickson writes that he does not understand why people say that “require an ID card from the voting booth is a removal of voters “. He is not alone in his confusion. This is one of the reasons why, in July, a coalition of religious leaders participated in a Faith in Democracy forum to “sensitize lawmakers to the deep concerns and the broad national engagement of the faith community in the defense of democratic reforms. “.
Catholics, Episcopalians, Jews, Presbyterians, Methodists, Mormons, Unitarians and others gathered for two days of workshops on the need for reforms to protect voting rights in America. One of the goals was to gain support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (HR4, S4) and the For the People Act (HR1, S1).
The point is, so-called voter identification laws often end up depriving people of color and others of their rights. For example, Alabama demanded photo ID such as a driver’s license, and within a year it closed eight of the 10 driver’s license offices in the most black communities. populated.
In Texas, where 80% of gun licenses are owned by white people, these licenses are acceptable forms of identification, while university ID cards, more than 50% of which are owned by people of color, are excluded. The Brennan Center has documented many other examples.
Suppressing the votes of our fellow citizens under cover of a voter card is contrary to our faith and our democracy. To do so in the name of protecting our electoral process is an outrage.
Deacon Walter Ayres
Selkirk
Director, Catholic Charities Commission for Peace and Justice
