Here’s how voter disenfranchisement laws work. In Tuesday’s Ohio primary, an 86-year old World War II veteran was turned away because his photo ID didn’t have his address. Paul Carroll, who has lived in Aurora, OH, for nearly 40 years had let his driver’s license expire. Knowing the need for a government-issued photo ID, he got one from the Department of Veterans Affairs. When he showed up to vote, the poll worker refused – the new ID card doesn’t have an address.
Carroll told the Cleveland Plain Dealer,
“I had to stop driving, but I got the photo ID from the Veterans Affairs instead, just a month or so ago. You would think that would count for something. I went to war for this country, but now I can’t vote in this country.”
It’s the latest story from the laws that have been passed around the country to stop alleged (but practically non-existent) voter fraud. What they are instead stopping is legitimate voters, many of them students, minorities or elderly. Estimates are that as many as 5 million peoplecould be prevented from voting in November because they lack the proper ID.
"No ID, No Vote"