Quote:
Originally Posted by nhboy  Voter ID battle in U.S. shifts to proof of citizenship
"The battle over voting rights will expand this week as lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote.
The measure would allow far more rigorous demands than the voter ID requirement recently upheld by the Supreme Court, in which voters had to prove their identity with a government-issued card.
Sponsors of the amendment — which requires the approval of voters to go into effect, possibly in an August referendum — say it is part of an effort to prevent illegal immigrants from affecting the political process. Critics say the measure could lead to the disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of legal residents who would find it difficult to prove their citizenship." Voter ID battle in U.S. shifts to proof of citizenship - International Herald Tribune |
There's an editorial in the NYTimes today (the above piece is actually a NYTimes writer/article reprinted in the ITH) about this article. Of course, the leftist spin is that this is just another Republican way to disenfranchise voters.
It's a bogus claim - anyone born in the US can contact the Bureau of Statistics (or whatever the dept. is called in their state) and obtain a birth certificate if they don't have one. YES, there are a few exceptions to the rule, as with everything. But overall, the majority of the people who are born here have a record of their birth.
The onus should be on the VOTER to prove they qualify to vote - as there is no constitutional RIGHT to vote (in federal elections) automatically with no restrictions. States have the right to set their own laws (qualifications)- as long as they don't interfere/conflict with the US Constitution.