Tipsheet

DSCC Wants DOJ to Stop Stricter Voter ID Laws

An old song from the Democrat playbook ...

Ben Smith at Politico reports that while Florida is seeking tougher voter ID laws, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is asking the DOJ to block the law (they approve changes to voters' laws under the Civil Rights Act) because it hurts minorities.

The reasons this law hurts minority voters in particular, as stated in the letter: it shortens the amount of early voting days (from 14 to 8), it requires registered voters who have moved between counties to cast provisional ballots, and it puts more restrictions on third-party voter registration organizations.

The common sense analysis of this case -- untarnished by an Ivy League law degree -- makes one raise eyebrows.

One of the DSCC's arguments, specified in a letter to the DOJ and available here, is that the number of shortened days eliminates a whole weekend from the early voting period, and that creates difficulty for voters who work during the week and "for church groups that arrange trips to the polls." They also cited a newspaper article saying that, in Florida's counties with the highest  amount of black voters, many voters went the Sunday before Election Day.

First, I have no idea why, if they're so involved in church, they're voting on Sundays, anyway.  Second, it sounds like it only eliminates one weekend, not two, so if voting is as important as it should be to you, make sure you go the weekend it's available.

The funniest part, however, is when they argue that "the State fails to provide sufficient evidence of voter fraud in Florida that would necessitate a change in the first place." I suppose they've never heard of hanging chads in Bush vs. Gore down in that state.