I get angry when I hear Republicans complain about ID problems in voting. I have worked as an election poll worker for years in both Illinois and New Mexico. In Illinois I generally worked the voter check in-table and in Santa Fe I worked as a Judge and ran a voting precinct.
To vote in either state you must register in advance. You must show both proof of citizenship with photo ID, AND sign the application. (There are special rules in each state for day of election registration, but it isn’t done often and you’re given a “provisional ballot”)
You’re sent a voters’ card, giving your precinct number. In general, your card doesn’t show your polling place; that comes later.
The day of voting (or before, if there’s Early Voting) the voter simply arrives at the polls and checks in. He does NOT have to show a card. He simply states his name and address, and date of birth.
The info is listed in the computer, the checker-in matches the info and asks the voter to sign the printout. As long as the signatures match, the voter is given a “voters permit” and his ballot. He votes. He puts the ballot in the counting machine. He leaves with a little, “I voted” sticker and a sense of wonder at our “participatory democracy”.
The only place the voting could possibly be “rigged” is if the voting tallies were tampered with on a micro level. Which they’re not.
The point I’m making is that it’s damn difficult to cheat. The poll workers, from the check-in workers up to the county officials, are dedicated to making the voting honest and on the mark. Everything is checked from start to finish. If the voter makes a mistake he is given a clean ballot and the old one is voided.
In 20 years of poll working I’ve never seen any cheating, ever. Mistakes, maybe, but not venality.
I have been a poll worker since 2020 in my state of Illinois and I also want to assure voters that the fraud does not happen with the voters and at the polls. There is no chance in hell that fraud is happening at the polls as that voter/vote/ballot goes through so many double checks down the voting line all the way up to the final tally of votes/voters/ballots that must match before 2 election judges from both parties drive the locked ballots to the county offices at 9pm at night. No fraud happening there. However, I wonder about the tech part as I found it hard to believe that Kamala lost in 2024 and Trump and Elon dropped so many "hints" about never voting again after 2024 and Elon acting strangely in the 2-3 months leading up to the election. I guess I will have to wait for a future investigation that is sure to come at some point, but this is just my own opinion. I do worry about the tech aspect of voting, although I read an article tonight online in The New Republic about voters in certain states getting early ballots that were filled in already in some parts and perhaps voters mistakenly thought they were official ballots when they weren't. And I know Elon hired a bunch of incels to help him with campaigning - I am sure they were also part of the doge crew that stole our info in the beginning of this seemingly endless nightmare. https://newrepublic.com/post/206857/georgia-voter-fraud-elon-musk
Reading this account of how carefully the ballots are taken care of makes me wonder how in hell a group from one party could walk in and take possession of ballots and walk off with them. When it happened in Arizona I was greatly shocked! Because for one thing, it included my very own ballot! I had thought that it was routine to have Representatives from both parties present, whenever ballots are transported or manipulated in any way. And now they’ve just done it again in Minnesota. Some major changes need to be made I would say, and how ballots are stored And how access to them is controlled. Those ballots that were in the possession of only one party it seems to me are now invalid. Because who knows what the hell they did with them while they were in their possession?
Trump and MAGA and the Republicans before never actually believed there was voter fraud. They want to win elections, and a good way to do this is to keep Democrats from voting. They know that requiring ID will exclude many more Democrats than Republicans.
I am hoping that it will affect more Republican in that "trad" wives are more common in conservative communities. You know those darned feminazis who don't take their husbands name...
Just one other (of many examples), rural folks who live long distances from the county courthouse will find how difficult and time-consuming the process of qualifying to register and may skip it if they are not excited about their candidates. Just for starters.
Why the signature matching? My state (MA) doesn't do that. Do you really leave it up to total amateurs to determine whether signatures "match"? I've been a poll worker in my town for years. I can't imagine being required to do this, or having any person's right to vote depend on a poll worker's ruling.
actually, in WA at least, those who verify the signatures are trained. If the signature looks "off" then the voter is contacted directly, and the vote counted unless proven wrong. Because people's signatures change for various reasons, in 2024 they sent out a "correct my signature" card (though even after arthritis signatures still have identifiable elements). So they could do investigations BEFORE the election and had a "new" signature to use for the actual election.
One reason this works is because we have universal "mail in" voting. Everything goes to one location in your county. Your ballot comes in three parts. Outer envelope goes to the experts, who do the investigating Inner envelope has your election-specific voter NUMBER but no other ID. The second group of workers removes the actual ballot and gives it to the actual vote counters. That way, no one can link your name to the actual vote. The person who counts only sees a number, not a name. If your signature is under investigation, the ballot is marked "provisional" until the issue is cleared up.
The voter NUMBER is what actually is counted. This stops "ballot stuffing" because no matter how many copies of your ballot you or someone else sticks in the mail or a box, only one with that number is counted. (and the drop boxes are emptied every night and scanned by those who pick them up and then driven to the central location in armored cars. Much safer than mail. On election day itself, the box is locked at 8 PM.)
So all ballots go to the professionals--no "local election workers"--who are trained and have the resources to double check.
Since this process started back in the 90s, the Heritage Foundation itself found about 10 counted votes TOTAL that weren't from the actual voter, almost all from relatives who forged the voter's signature "because he would want to vote this way."
And fear that someone would steal your ballot from your mailbox? That thief would have to have an exemplar of your signature to even come CLOSE to the signature on file. Now that few get cancelled checks, how many exemplars of your signature show up in your mail box? Not to mention the same day your ballot arrives. (I have a copy of my signature on a check I wrote back in 1968; the signature hasn't changed a jot. The check was for my electric bill--a whopping $10 for the month)
After you vote --or if you haven't got a ballot--you can go online and check that your vote has or hasn't been counted. Not WHO you voted for, but IF.
An added benefit--my drop box is literally a few miles closer than a Post Office and doesn't require parking. The main issue with the drop boxes is someone dropping messy dog poop to try to obscure ballots, or in ONE case , dropped a lighted match in. No big fire: not enough air inside the box. All the ballots were identifiable.
Susanna, good point about signatures and ID verification but as several others have brought up, it’s universal to have signatures used as part of the registration process.
The most interesting things happen when, over the years, a person’s signature has devolved from a straight signature to a dash and we have to ask the voter to sign a second or even third time, to get a viable signature.Susan, below, is right when she writes about signatures and voting information has to completely match when signed off on by the 2 checkers-in.
Election workers are very well trained. They have to attend training sessions to learn the voter rules and how to use the various voting machines and tabulators. I don’t know much about the mail in ballots because I either vote early or a wait til Election Day but I like to vote in person.
First, thank you for your willingness to serve as a poll volunteer.
The fact is and remains that there is no serious amount of voting fraud, in part because of existing state voter registration rules and the not insignificant consequences for casting an illegal ballot, especially for non-citizens.
Trump, et al, have made this an issue merely to create uncertainty in our election process in order to create new rules that will suppress unwanted votes. The irony is that a lot of red state voters will also be affected by any such changes as not everyone has a passport or certified birth certificate with which to verify their citizenship, due to cost, disability or other reason. Even a so-called "Real ID" driver's license may not provide proof of citizenship status in some states.
If the federal government were serious about verifying citizenship status, it would create and issue to all US residents a form of national ID that would identify those who were US citizens. As a practical matter, effecting such a policy would likely take years to accomplish at great cost and effort. However, when the idea of a national ID card has been proposed in the past, major privacy concerns have been raised in conservative circles.
As to your experience as a polling volunteer, I also have my doubts as to the capability of poll workers to: 1) assess the authenticity of any form of ID that is being presented to them by a potential voter, and 2) actually verify that the person standing in front of them is the person represented by the ID they have presented. I mean no disrespect to poll workers, but they are largely made of up volunteers with limited training that simply do not have the time, expertise or resources to affirmatively identify each person who appears to vote. In the end, we will remain largely dependent on the voter registration process and the potential consequences to someone who attempts to vote illegally.
Scott, poll workers ARE paid in Illinois and New Mexico, though I don’t know about other states. The pay is about $50 per day, not a lot but at least some compensation. They’re required to take several training classes, and there’s always a judge overseeing the operation and deciding on proper procedures.
There are occasional problems that pop up and judges can always count on help from election central.
I guess that becoming a poll worker is very self selective. Voting day is long. Workers take pride in the work they’re doing. I’ve respected everyelection worker I’ve ever worked with or supervised.
I am 70 years old...and engaged...I will not change my name once married....I cannot believe this is a possibility...I grew up in the 70s ....I thought Nixon and Wallace were the enemies...this is so much worse.
I hear you my friend. Fortunately for me, I have an original notarized copy of my birth certificate, along with 2 original copy marriage certificates. I was a widow for over 20 years and got remarried at 67. I married a dear friend and I agreed to his old-fashioned wish that I change my last name from my previous husband. I agreed because my kids were all married and there was no good reason to keep my late spouse's name. Six years later, I can say it has been a nightmare. There are still accounts that I have not been able to change, and I still get packages and mail with my previous name, even though I have tried to change those settings several times. I would have never done this had I known it would be this way. My youngest daughter got married for the first time at 39 years old and I advised her NOT to change her birth name at all costs! She actually listened to her mama! It is such bullshit that so many women will have to deal with this. No one should ever change their name for marriage - not even the first time!
Thank you for the clarification about voter id vs. restrictive voter id. And also for clarifying that just registering to vote does not guarantee that you can vote. I didn't realize that any additional work was required to verify the information I used to register. The other fear is having voter rolls purged without notifying people they had been removed. We always think one vote doesn't matter but I feel a responsibility to the people who died in order to give me that right and so I make it my duty as a citizen.
Gail, there are things you can do to make sure your registration is still valid. Go to vote411.org, which is the League of Women Voters. The League is in every state. There, you can register to vote or check your registration or get an early peak of who is on your ballot. In most states, you can also check online with your state or county election commission and find the same information. And I can tell you that your vote really does matter. Smaller elections have been won by less than 10 votes. Every election matters - both the big presidential ones and the small local ones. My own voting history tells the story of learning the importance of voting the hard way. The only way we can change things in this country is to vote in EVERY election; your vote IS your voice. And yes - I also do it because of my family members that served to protect this country from things like fascism, communism, and authoritarian governments. They deserve our fight to preserve the democracy they so bravely fought for. We are in the fight of our lives right now.
I want to make sure people know that requiring people to “show ID at the time they vote will make it nearly impossible for states like mine to continue voting by mail.
That makes it SO important to register your comments with your senators, who will be taking a vote soon (next week?). It is wrong and it needs to be addressed. You may think that your state representatives in D.C. - congress and senate - won't listen to you, but they will because they track every phone call or mail. The more people they hear from, the more they need to think it through. They should be beholden to their voters. It is OK to tell them you will hold them accountable if they vote against what is right. I send my senators and congressional rep. emails weekly and sometimes more if the issue warrants the action. I always try to call first, but that is usually not successful for me. Get Loud with them - they are elected by you and they work for you and no one else.
You can easily contact your reps by going to Congress.gov or my favorite 5calls.org that will give you speaking templates for leaving messages or talking on issues. So simple and can be done in a few minutes.
I'm so glad you mentioned Susan Collins. She needs to hear this excellent discussion. I don't know how she can be so misguided. (Oh wait...yes I do...nothing new...) Thank you both so much !
This was wonderful, I have been having a number of conversations with people who like the SAVE act but have no idea of the impact it would have on others, calling women stupid and lazy complaining about what documents they will need to vote. I will share this video with others and keep lifting up-the reality wherever the myth of fair and free voting must make these changes exists.
Most countries require photo ID to vote. Almost all have mandatory national ID cards. If all US citizens had nationally recognized ID cards ID requirements to vote should not be an issue. Is there a solution there?
I think you make the most important point here--we don't have this. And there has been absolutely no effort by the people who want voter ID laws to make this happen.
But if we did would the federal government then have the database of voter rolls that they desire? In fact I am already paranoid about DOGE access to all of my personal information.
But the federal government *does not* run elections, and in fact the authority for making election rules rests with the states and with Congress, per the Constitution.
There used to be sort of coalition of right-wingers and ACLU and other liberal groups against the concept of a "national identity card," which was seen as an opening for totalitarianism. In particular, I'm sure the Republican Party would have opposed such a thing. I suspect the average "MAGA" is less aware of this tradition.
Yes, but! When I spent time overseas in the army one of the important fond memories of the U.S. is that it's not necessary to have national ID cards... we are much more free than others in this regard.
Great show. My favorite heroes. Hope, perspicacity and deep reason. Thank you. All us reasoning people have a lot of work to do. Voter suppression, hmmm, sounds like I don’t want the orange mussolini and his evil henchmen to crunch my voting rights. How many dumbass white hillbilly Americans do not know the definition of suppression? I bet every MAGA who voted for the mango Nazi. Whereas, I’ll bet every person of color in this disturbed country knows the word suppression.
I get angry when I hear Republicans complain about ID problems in voting. I have worked as an election poll worker for years in both Illinois and New Mexico. In Illinois I generally worked the voter check in-table and in Santa Fe I worked as a Judge and ran a voting precinct.
To vote in either state you must register in advance. You must show both proof of citizenship with photo ID, AND sign the application. (There are special rules in each state for day of election registration, but it isn’t done often and you’re given a “provisional ballot”)
You’re sent a voters’ card, giving your precinct number. In general, your card doesn’t show your polling place; that comes later.
The day of voting (or before, if there’s Early Voting) the voter simply arrives at the polls and checks in. He does NOT have to show a card. He simply states his name and address, and date of birth.
The info is listed in the computer, the checker-in matches the info and asks the voter to sign the printout. As long as the signatures match, the voter is given a “voters permit” and his ballot. He votes. He puts the ballot in the counting machine. He leaves with a little, “I voted” sticker and a sense of wonder at our “participatory democracy”.
The only place the voting could possibly be “rigged” is if the voting tallies were tampered with on a micro level. Which they’re not.
The point I’m making is that it’s damn difficult to cheat. The poll workers, from the check-in workers up to the county officials, are dedicated to making the voting honest and on the mark. Everything is checked from start to finish. If the voter makes a mistake he is given a clean ballot and the old one is voided.
In 20 years of poll working I’ve never seen any cheating, ever. Mistakes, maybe, but not venality.
I have been a poll worker since 2020 in my state of Illinois and I also want to assure voters that the fraud does not happen with the voters and at the polls. There is no chance in hell that fraud is happening at the polls as that voter/vote/ballot goes through so many double checks down the voting line all the way up to the final tally of votes/voters/ballots that must match before 2 election judges from both parties drive the locked ballots to the county offices at 9pm at night. No fraud happening there. However, I wonder about the tech part as I found it hard to believe that Kamala lost in 2024 and Trump and Elon dropped so many "hints" about never voting again after 2024 and Elon acting strangely in the 2-3 months leading up to the election. I guess I will have to wait for a future investigation that is sure to come at some point, but this is just my own opinion. I do worry about the tech aspect of voting, although I read an article tonight online in The New Republic about voters in certain states getting early ballots that were filled in already in some parts and perhaps voters mistakenly thought they were official ballots when they weren't. And I know Elon hired a bunch of incels to help him with campaigning - I am sure they were also part of the doge crew that stole our info in the beginning of this seemingly endless nightmare. https://newrepublic.com/post/206857/georgia-voter-fraud-elon-musk
Thanks, Deb!
Reading this account of how carefully the ballots are taken care of makes me wonder how in hell a group from one party could walk in and take possession of ballots and walk off with them. When it happened in Arizona I was greatly shocked! Because for one thing, it included my very own ballot! I had thought that it was routine to have Representatives from both parties present, whenever ballots are transported or manipulated in any way. And now they’ve just done it again in Minnesota. Some major changes need to be made I would say, and how ballots are stored And how access to them is controlled. Those ballots that were in the possession of only one party it seems to me are now invalid. Because who knows what the hell they did with them while they were in their possession?
Fraud Trump lies about EVERYTHING
Since he is a fraud, he sees fraud everywhere he looks.
Trump and MAGA and the Republicans before never actually believed there was voter fraud. They want to win elections, and a good way to do this is to keep Democrats from voting. They know that requiring ID will exclude many more Democrats than Republicans.
I am hoping that it will affect more Republican in that "trad" wives are more common in conservative communities. You know those darned feminazis who don't take their husbands name...
Just one other (of many examples), rural folks who live long distances from the county courthouse will find how difficult and time-consuming the process of qualifying to register and may skip it if they are not excited about their candidates. Just for starters.
Why the signature matching? My state (MA) doesn't do that. Do you really leave it up to total amateurs to determine whether signatures "match"? I've been a poll worker in my town for years. I can't imagine being required to do this, or having any person's right to vote depend on a poll worker's ruling.
actually, in WA at least, those who verify the signatures are trained. If the signature looks "off" then the voter is contacted directly, and the vote counted unless proven wrong. Because people's signatures change for various reasons, in 2024 they sent out a "correct my signature" card (though even after arthritis signatures still have identifiable elements). So they could do investigations BEFORE the election and had a "new" signature to use for the actual election.
One reason this works is because we have universal "mail in" voting. Everything goes to one location in your county. Your ballot comes in three parts. Outer envelope goes to the experts, who do the investigating Inner envelope has your election-specific voter NUMBER but no other ID. The second group of workers removes the actual ballot and gives it to the actual vote counters. That way, no one can link your name to the actual vote. The person who counts only sees a number, not a name. If your signature is under investigation, the ballot is marked "provisional" until the issue is cleared up.
The voter NUMBER is what actually is counted. This stops "ballot stuffing" because no matter how many copies of your ballot you or someone else sticks in the mail or a box, only one with that number is counted. (and the drop boxes are emptied every night and scanned by those who pick them up and then driven to the central location in armored cars. Much safer than mail. On election day itself, the box is locked at 8 PM.)
So all ballots go to the professionals--no "local election workers"--who are trained and have the resources to double check.
Since this process started back in the 90s, the Heritage Foundation itself found about 10 counted votes TOTAL that weren't from the actual voter, almost all from relatives who forged the voter's signature "because he would want to vote this way."
And fear that someone would steal your ballot from your mailbox? That thief would have to have an exemplar of your signature to even come CLOSE to the signature on file. Now that few get cancelled checks, how many exemplars of your signature show up in your mail box? Not to mention the same day your ballot arrives. (I have a copy of my signature on a check I wrote back in 1968; the signature hasn't changed a jot. The check was for my electric bill--a whopping $10 for the month)
After you vote --or if you haven't got a ballot--you can go online and check that your vote has or hasn't been counted. Not WHO you voted for, but IF.
An added benefit--my drop box is literally a few miles closer than a Post Office and doesn't require parking. The main issue with the drop boxes is someone dropping messy dog poop to try to obscure ballots, or in ONE case , dropped a lighted match in. No big fire: not enough air inside the box. All the ballots were identifiable.
Susanna, good point about signatures and ID verification but as several others have brought up, it’s universal to have signatures used as part of the registration process.
The most interesting things happen when, over the years, a person’s signature has devolved from a straight signature to a dash and we have to ask the voter to sign a second or even third time, to get a viable signature.Susan, below, is right when she writes about signatures and voting information has to completely match when signed off on by the 2 checkers-in.
Election workers are very well trained. They have to attend training sessions to learn the voter rules and how to use the various voting machines and tabulators. I don’t know much about the mail in ballots because I either vote early or a wait til Election Day but I like to vote in person.
First, thank you for your willingness to serve as a poll volunteer.
The fact is and remains that there is no serious amount of voting fraud, in part because of existing state voter registration rules and the not insignificant consequences for casting an illegal ballot, especially for non-citizens.
Trump, et al, have made this an issue merely to create uncertainty in our election process in order to create new rules that will suppress unwanted votes. The irony is that a lot of red state voters will also be affected by any such changes as not everyone has a passport or certified birth certificate with which to verify their citizenship, due to cost, disability or other reason. Even a so-called "Real ID" driver's license may not provide proof of citizenship status in some states.
If the federal government were serious about verifying citizenship status, it would create and issue to all US residents a form of national ID that would identify those who were US citizens. As a practical matter, effecting such a policy would likely take years to accomplish at great cost and effort. However, when the idea of a national ID card has been proposed in the past, major privacy concerns have been raised in conservative circles.
As to your experience as a polling volunteer, I also have my doubts as to the capability of poll workers to: 1) assess the authenticity of any form of ID that is being presented to them by a potential voter, and 2) actually verify that the person standing in front of them is the person represented by the ID they have presented. I mean no disrespect to poll workers, but they are largely made of up volunteers with limited training that simply do not have the time, expertise or resources to affirmatively identify each person who appears to vote. In the end, we will remain largely dependent on the voter registration process and the potential consequences to someone who attempts to vote illegally.
Scott, poll workers ARE paid in Illinois and New Mexico, though I don’t know about other states. The pay is about $50 per day, not a lot but at least some compensation. They’re required to take several training classes, and there’s always a judge overseeing the operation and deciding on proper procedures.
There are occasional problems that pop up and judges can always count on help from election central.
I guess that becoming a poll worker is very self selective. Voting day is long. Workers take pride in the work they’re doing. I’ve respected everyelection worker I’ve ever worked with or supervised.
I am 70 years old...and engaged...I will not change my name once married....I cannot believe this is a possibility...I grew up in the 70s ....I thought Nixon and Wallace were the enemies...this is so much worse.
I hear you my friend. Fortunately for me, I have an original notarized copy of my birth certificate, along with 2 original copy marriage certificates. I was a widow for over 20 years and got remarried at 67. I married a dear friend and I agreed to his old-fashioned wish that I change my last name from my previous husband. I agreed because my kids were all married and there was no good reason to keep my late spouse's name. Six years later, I can say it has been a nightmare. There are still accounts that I have not been able to change, and I still get packages and mail with my previous name, even though I have tried to change those settings several times. I would have never done this had I known it would be this way. My youngest daughter got married for the first time at 39 years old and I advised her NOT to change her birth name at all costs! She actually listened to her mama! It is such bullshit that so many women will have to deal with this. No one should ever change their name for marriage - not even the first time!
Felicitations Cathleen! Maybe you can legally not change, but have people call you Mrs. whomever? Don't let those jerks ruin your happy union!
Thank you for the clarification about voter id vs. restrictive voter id. And also for clarifying that just registering to vote does not guarantee that you can vote. I didn't realize that any additional work was required to verify the information I used to register. The other fear is having voter rolls purged without notifying people they had been removed. We always think one vote doesn't matter but I feel a responsibility to the people who died in order to give me that right and so I make it my duty as a citizen.
Gail, there are things you can do to make sure your registration is still valid. Go to vote411.org, which is the League of Women Voters. The League is in every state. There, you can register to vote or check your registration or get an early peak of who is on your ballot. In most states, you can also check online with your state or county election commission and find the same information. And I can tell you that your vote really does matter. Smaller elections have been won by less than 10 votes. Every election matters - both the big presidential ones and the small local ones. My own voting history tells the story of learning the importance of voting the hard way. The only way we can change things in this country is to vote in EVERY election; your vote IS your voice. And yes - I also do it because of my family members that served to protect this country from things like fascism, communism, and authoritarian governments. They deserve our fight to preserve the democracy they so bravely fought for. We are in the fight of our lives right now.
Check that you are registered on a regular basis, the ballot purges are real and unpredictable.
Christine Gregoire won the election for governor of WA in 2004 by 130 votes. State-wide.
I want to make sure people know that requiring people to “show ID at the time they vote will make it nearly impossible for states like mine to continue voting by mail.
That makes it SO important to register your comments with your senators, who will be taking a vote soon (next week?). It is wrong and it needs to be addressed. You may think that your state representatives in D.C. - congress and senate - won't listen to you, but they will because they track every phone call or mail. The more people they hear from, the more they need to think it through. They should be beholden to their voters. It is OK to tell them you will hold them accountable if they vote against what is right. I send my senators and congressional rep. emails weekly and sometimes more if the issue warrants the action. I always try to call first, but that is usually not successful for me. Get Loud with them - they are elected by you and they work for you and no one else.
You can easily contact your reps by going to Congress.gov or my favorite 5calls.org that will give you speaking templates for leaving messages or talking on issues. So simple and can be done in a few minutes.
This is a really BIG part of what the GOP is interested in, along with collecting voter information!!!!
Pam here from Montpelier VT. I have always been an admirer of Stacy so thanks for having her with you for a discussion!!
I will watch in the morning. I’m not a night person but really grateful 💙
same here
That is one big ass coffee cup
Thank you! It is.
I'm so glad you mentioned Susan Collins. She needs to hear this excellent discussion. I don't know how she can be so misguided. (Oh wait...yes I do...nothing new...) Thank you both so much !
This was wonderful, I have been having a number of conversations with people who like the SAVE act but have no idea of the impact it would have on others, calling women stupid and lazy complaining about what documents they will need to vote. I will share this video with others and keep lifting up-the reality wherever the myth of fair and free voting must make these changes exists.
From Walnut Creek, California.
OFF TOPIC:
2/21/26, per Reuters' David Thomas:
"The first U.S. Citizen killed by a DHS Agent was Texan, Ruben Ray Martinez, 23 years old.
That's before Good & before Pretti. Confirmed by the Attorney for Martinez' family.
Most countries require photo ID to vote. Almost all have mandatory national ID cards. If all US citizens had nationally recognized ID cards ID requirements to vote should not be an issue. Is there a solution there?
I think you make the most important point here--we don't have this. And there has been absolutely no effort by the people who want voter ID laws to make this happen.
But if we did would the federal government then have the database of voter rolls that they desire? In fact I am already paranoid about DOGE access to all of my personal information.
But the federal government *does not* run elections, and in fact the authority for making election rules rests with the states and with Congress, per the Constitution.
There used to be sort of coalition of right-wingers and ACLU and other liberal groups against the concept of a "national identity card," which was seen as an opening for totalitarianism. In particular, I'm sure the Republican Party would have opposed such a thing. I suspect the average "MAGA" is less aware of this tradition.
Yes, but! When I spent time overseas in the army one of the important fond memories of the U.S. is that it's not necessary to have national ID cards... we are much more free than others in this regard.
Sorry to be late -- it's Saturday evening and I'm in Kenosha, WI
Brilliant discussion! Stacey is so articulate and clear! Great choice of guest. I’m really happy she was willing to speak with you.
Ferndale, WA
Chicken lover! : )
Great show. My favorite heroes. Hope, perspicacity and deep reason. Thank you. All us reasoning people have a lot of work to do. Voter suppression, hmmm, sounds like I don’t want the orange mussolini and his evil henchmen to crunch my voting rights. How many dumbass white hillbilly Americans do not know the definition of suppression? I bet every MAGA who voted for the mango Nazi. Whereas, I’ll bet every person of color in this disturbed country knows the word suppression.
Edinburgh, Scotland