Larsen to Obama: Target Discriminatory Voter ID Laws in Election Reform
Washington, DC,
February 15, 2013
Following President Obama’s call for election reform in his State of the Union Address, Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, is asking the President to support efforts to combat discriminatory impacts of voter ID laws. Larsen wrote the President today asking for his support of the America Votes Act, which would allow a voter that does not have required identification to sign a sworn statement affirming his or her identity. Larsen introduced the America Votes Act last year with the support of 43 of his colleagues, and intends to reintroduce the bill soon. More information on the bill is available here. Larsen’s letter to the President follows: February 15, 2013 President Barack Obama The White House Mr. President: Thank you for addressing the essential issue of election reform in your the State of the Union Address. As an advocate for voting rights, I am glad that you have continued to highlight voter access as a priority of your administration. To combat the discriminatory impacts of voter ID laws, I introduced the America Votes Act of 2012, which had 43 cosponsors. This legislation allows voters who arrive at the polls without required identification to sign a sworn statement affirming their identity, just as absentee voters do with their ballots. These voters can then submit a standard—not provisional—ballot. This legislation preserves voting rights and makes sure every vote counts. I will reintroduce this legislation this year. Please consider this legislation in your efforts to improve our nation’s elections. Voter ID laws, which disproportionately impact poor, elderly, minority, and young voters, have continued to play a role in voter suppression across the nation. Though many voter ID laws were struck down or postponed by the courts, they still caused problems in the 2012 elections. For example in Pennsylvania, implementation of the voter ID law was postponed by a state court until after the 2012 election. But poll workers were still permitted to ask for IDs, even though voters were not required to present them. The ensuing confusion resulted in voters being turned away from the polls, or unlawfully directed to vote using provisional ballots. Other states including Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama continue to push for clearance for their voter ID laws under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Minority, elderly, and low-income voters who are disproportionately impacted by voter ID laws already face a multitude of barriers to voting. As the Supreme Court hears a challenge to this historic law, it is increasingly important that we take a stand to ensure voter ID laws do not exacerbate suppression efforts against voters who hold their rights dear. Our nation must continue to move forward, out of our dark history of voter suppression and toward a future that allows citizens to exercise the cherished right to cast their vote. As you said in your address, “this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another…that our rights are wrapped up in the rights of others.” I look forward to working with you to end disenfranchisement caused by these discriminatory voter ID laws. Sincerely, Rick Larsen CC: Robert Bauer, Presidential Commission on Election Administration |