Rolling back a woman's right to vote

[BainsBane]

The war on women advances: first undermining our right to control our bodies, whether through reproductive rights or rape, and now our right to vote.

Women have been allowed to vote in the United States since 1920. But fast-forward to 2013, and plenty of states are making it harder for women who are married or divorced to cast a ballot.

When Americans all over the country head to the polls on November 5 to vote on mayoral candidates, ballot initiatives, gubernatorial races, and even members of Congress, they will be up against a new kind of voter ID law that has mostly cropped up in 2012 and 2013 and disproportionately affects women—as well as transgender voters and anyone else with a name change.

Controversial voter ID laws, which GOP proponents say are intended to prevent the (pretty much nonexistent) crime of voting fraud, are nothing new, and they have been criticized for targeting low-income voters, young people, and minorities. But Texas's newly enforced voter ID law has put a spotlight on another group of voters that will be disproportionately affected by these rules. Not only must Texas voters present government-issue photo IDs to vote, but now poll workers are required under the law to check these IDs against an official voting registry to determine if the two names "substantially" match. That means that a woman who updated her voter registration when she got married, but not her driver's license or passport (and vice versa), could face additional hurdles in getting her ballot counted.

The Texas law may have drawn extra scrutiny because of the state's reputation for being a battleground in the "war on women"—but it's just one of many to adopt this type of provision. At least 9 other states' voting laws, most enacted in 2012 or 2013, use similar language. That doesn't count the 24 additional states with other kinds of voter ID laws, including some with looser photo ID rules that are still potentially problematic for women. In 2006, the Brennan Center found that 34 percent of voting-age women do not possess a proof-of-citizenship document that reflects their legal name, although updated statistics on photo IDs are hard to come by. And Slate points out that the law doesn't just affect Democrats, as Republican women are more likely change their names. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/voter-id-laws-married-women-texas-map

Ways to combat this 1) oppose voter ID laws; 2) don't change your name when you marry.
I changed my name, and when I changed it back after my divorce, I faced a world of bullshit, whereas changing it at marriage couldn't have been easier. This law, however, would restrict the vote of anyone undergoing a name change. I don't for a second believe it isn't intentionally directed at women. The Republicans know we vote Democratic, that our votes our responsible for every single Democratic win in this country.

[HockeyMom]

1. My daughter kept both her birth surname and married surname

Very popular today and she hyphenates them. Common tradition among Latina women. Other than that? Get a Passport. Yes, I know expensive but a Federal document will trump a State one. Besides, whether you are single or married (especially gay married), that passport has no listing what your marital status is. I have seen that with state agencies seeing that US Passport, instead of state driver licenses, BC, marriage licenses, they look at you in SHOCK. You are giving me a FEDERAL Photo ID? Yeah, argue with the Feds, jerks.

[BainsBane]

3. I don't think the hyphenated name makes a difference in this case

It's still a name change.

I've had that same experience using a passport as ID.

[EC]

4. That won't work

unless it's the same on her license AND her voter registration. That's where a lot of the problem arises. Texas made the women put their maiden name as their middle name on their drivers license, but the voter registration has to be the same as their birth certificate with their original middle name. So hocus pocus they can't vote because the license and registration do not match.

[Warpy]

2. I keep a valid passport

That's what I'll use to prove citizenship to those morons.

But yes, they're desperate to keep women from voting, especially in Texas and especially next year.

Assholes. They keep forgetting who prepares their food.

[HockeyMom]

6. Until the State of Florida,

recogniztes ALL of New York State's Marriage Licenses, I am not going to show them MY straight Marriage License from NY. They want ID for Drivers License? You will get my Passport which doesn't have my birth name or martial status from NY.

Dear Florida, recognize my lesbian daughter's NY marriage, not just my NY straight marriage. FU, Florida. Deal with Fed documents then, bigots.

My personal protest against this state. It really pissed me off. Only SOME people from NY are equal.

[xulamaude]

5. My partner couldn't get her DL

just last month (in one of those starred states) because names didn't match up on every single form of identification she had including a valid DL from a neighboring non-photo-ID-required state AND proof of property ownership in the same name as the valid DL....

She was married to a gay man for about 4 minutes (as a favor to help him out with his family image) some 30+ years ago. Never had a problem with anything until this year.

Obvious and sad.

[BainsBane]

7. That's awful

I hope DOJ challenges these laws.

[xulamaude]

8. Yeah, it is awful and frankly

for her/us a pain in the ass. Luckily we have the resources to work around it for now.

Thanks