Discussion

Respond to Peers: Respond to at least two of your classmates' initial posts. Your peer responses should be substantive and at least 100 words each. They must demonstrate critical thinking. For example, compare your post to a classmate's post that takes a contrary position. If you are arguing voter fraud is a major problem then contrast your argument to a classmate that argues voter ID laws are designed to suppress voting, or vice versa.

• Dyneisha Gordon

100 WORDS Response Count

Recent developments in several states enacting voter ID laws?

Several states have enacted stricter voting laws in order curb voter fraud according to Andrew Cohen in the article, "How Voter ID Laws Are Being Used to Disenfranchise Minorities and the Poor"(2012). These laws require that voters have the proper ID to cast a ballot in elections and without the proper ID, those citizens will not be allowed to vote. In the United States, 49 states require that a person must be registered to votes. Some states require a state issued ID, while others will accept other forms to prove identification and then there are those who allow voter to cast provisional ballots, in which a person without ID can cast a vote but will have to complete the required forms stating why they should be allowed to vote. There have also been changes made in some states to the early voting policy.

Pros to enacting voter ID laws?

Although U. S. citizens are allowed to vote not all voters in the past have been registered U.S. citizens, so in order for a person to vote they must first obtain the proper ID to prove that they are legal residents of their states and with the new voter ID laws this will help with the case of voter fraud. Another pro to enacting voter ID laws is it will ensure that one person is not casting multiple ballots or phantom ballots, that is a vote in which a person cast a ballot for someone who is deceased or incapable of voting for other reasons (Hyde, 2008).

Con to enacting voter ID laws?

Some of the cons to enacting voter ID laws is the requirements or documentation needed to vote and obtaining these forms of identification. Although it is free to register to vote, some may not have the necessary resources needed in order to obtain proper identification. There is also a problem with the timeframe in which a person has to register to vote. Some states require that voters are registered anywhere from 15 to 30 days before an election. Another con is transportation to offices where people can register, this is a problem for those who don't drive or either live too far away from these locations. One other con is that some states no longer offer early voting, so this makes it time consuming on election day to get out and vote. An example of this would be the time it takes on election days to vote in my state (GA), where early voting laws have been restricted.

Influence of the media?

Mass and social media have played an important role when it comes to influence of voter ID laws. Because of the media people have been educated on the importance of being registered to vote. The media has also kept us inform on the laws governing these requirements and policies for each state. Since some states do require that voters are registered 15 to 30 days in advance it is because of the media, social and mass, that we learn these important dates, as well as the dates and times you can go and vote in your area.

My conclusion:

Although the new voter ID laws do not affect me in any way, I still see the arguments for and against these laws to both be valid arguments. It's not fair that every legal citizen has a right to vote but can't because they do not have the required documentation or no way of obtaining it, on the other hand because of these laws it will help curb voter fraud in some cases.

References:

Cohen, A. (2012, March 16). How voter ID laws are being used to disenfranchise minorities and the poor. The Atlantic. Hyde, K. (2008, October 13). Fraught with fraud The New American, 24(22), 18-20.

• Latosha Marable

100 WORDS Response Count

Recently the United States have five territories, seventeen states and the District of Columbia that do not require you to have any form of identification in order to vote. In 2018 Iowa will reduce this number to sixteen states. There are some pros and cons to these laws. I had an experience when it came to voting in DC that I think is a pro. In the recent election, I ran to the polls before they closed and had forgotten my ID. All I had to do was tell the person who was working the polls my name and address and they placed me at a machine where I could vote. So, in cases like this, not having to show your ID would be a good thing. Yet, it can be a bad thing because someone could use several different identities in different jurisdictions and vote. This could give a candidate a big dishonest lead over its opponents. This can also can be a problem with who is actually voting. This United States host a lot of people who are not citizens. So in states where there is not identification needed to vote, a candidate could have their campaign headquarters pay groups of noncitizens to vote in states that don't hold any voter laws. So, I'm torn with deciding on whether or not to require identification for voting is a good thing. It may be the best thing but in some cases, like the one I mentioned, it would be great to not require ID and still give the person a change to make a statement.

What impact has the media (mass and social) had in influencing public opinion regarding voter ID laws?

The media has a huge impact on a person's decision making. Networks can choose what they want to show on their networks. So, if a person, who doesn't have cable and only see local channels and live in a democratic state, it is a strong possibility that they make endorse the democratic candidate more than the republican or third-party candidates. As far as social media goes, people will personally endorse whom they feel is better for themselves. Social media also displays a lot of negative memes causing candidates to look foolish. This may alter the vote of someone who is just looking at the memes and not the facts. So, mass and social media play a huge impact on a voters decision because people can be easily influenced by the majority.