Let's see, the article refers to voter ID as being an attack on voting rights. Sorry - but without proper identification, what mechanism is in place to prevent a voter from multi-casting? How many dead people voted in the last round of elections? How do you prevent fraud without some kind of picture ID? The article makes the rather lame claim that this type of measure impacts the poor, students, urban dwellers, seniors and minorities simply because these people may not have a driver's license. However, a photo ID can be easily obtained for a small fee (or even free) in every state.
While it's true that the process of purging voters from the rolls needs to be better managed and have a more transparent process, the overall effect is to help deter fraud. Instead of beating up the process - and the need for it - we should be screaming for accountability and a better way to perform this vital task.
You can't beat on the establishment for screwing up voter purges and then allow registration mistakes - honest or not - to escape the same scrutiny. If we ask the government to be accountable, we have to hold ourselves to the same standards. I hardly see this as voter intimidation.
In the dirty trick department, I would hold nearly every politician culpable for negative campaigning, open distortions of the truth, and exaggeration of facts in order to cast themselves in the best light while slamming their opponent. This is business as usual in American politics. SuperPACS and Get Out The Vote drives (which are really aimed at attempting to capture potential voter blocks) ought to be seen for what they are - an attempt to grab an election by whatever means.
Also, Mr Jackson, are you honestly telling us that an African American is simply too stupid to know when Election Day is? Are naturalized Hispanics really afraid of being arrested for not carrying an ID? (Also, if ID's were REQUIRED to be able to vote, this would also be a non-issue.)
Where I agree that a lot of this is "ugly stuff", it happens with alarming regularity in our political system and is not simply perpetrated by the "minority party" (I assume you're referring to the Republican Party here). In point of fact, dirty tricks are used by EVERY political party.
As I see it, most of the points raised in this article are an attempt to ensure that we hold elections as honestly and as fairly as possible. Instead of accusing the people who suggest that we fix some of the holes in the system of having ulterior motives, why aren't we looking at the proposed changes and actually making an effort to see that the proposed changes affect the electorate equally and fairly?
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