State can't force voters to prove citizenship

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Supreme Court strikes down Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to vote

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...w-requiring-proof-of-citizenship-to-vote?lite

The Supreme Court on Monday struck down an Arizona law that requires people to submit proof of citizenship when they register to vote.

The vote was 7-2, with Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the court. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, two members of the court’s conservative wing, dissented.

More at link.....
 
This is the second time recently that Scalia has (pleasantly!) surprised me! :eek:
 
Since apparently one doesn't even have to be a citizen to vote in this country anymore maybe we should just start holding our elections online.

Maybe set up a website poll so people from all over the world could decide on the laws that will apply to the citizens of AZ.
 
just curious...how do you prove citizenship? birth certificate? ss card? I really don't know.

a little off topic, but a few months ago my uncle had a hard time proving he was ever born. even though he had served in the army in Vietnam, had a ss card and all, but he had to go to a state rep to get them to expedite his drivers license. apparently if you aren't born in a hospital, they throw the records away or some such carp LOL
 
Can people who are here illegally vote or does this mean immigrants who aren't citizens yet? I had trouble getting a teen an ID and have to prove residence just to get kids i nto new school districts but just anyone can vote.
 
Since apparently one doesn't even have to be a citizen to vote in this country anymore maybe we should just start holding our elections online.

Maybe set up a website poll so people from all over the world could decide on the laws that will apply to the citizens of AZ.


Seriously. So, to recap: I have to prove I am a U.S. citizen to get a job...by presenting my Social Security card and my drivers license...a license which...by the way....has a caduceus on it...a symbol that tells anyone who sees it that I am disabled*...thus I am labeled as someone to be flagged and ignored for further interviews...BUT...a person does not even have to prove they are a U.S. citizen in order to vote in our elections. SMH



*Emblazoned there so I can "prove" that my accessibility tag is indeed mine and I am not using someone else's.
 
Can people who are here illegally vote or does this mean immigrants who aren't citizens yet? I had trouble getting a teen an ID and have to prove residence just to get kids i nto new school districts but just anyone can vote.

States can and do ask voters to bring some form of proof of address. For most people that's a drivers license and/or a copy of a utility bill, etc. They have to make sure you're voting in the right city, district or precinct. Many times elections have local tax levies and such, so it only seems fair you should have to prove you live in the community to vote on their tax levy.

I'm not sure, but I think the law the SCOTUS ruled on today was similar to laws many states were passing where you would have to begin showing your birth certificate to get your drivers license and other forms of ID renewed. Then, if you couldn't produce one, you not only couldn't drive, you couldn't vote either.



It's always a good idea to check and make sure you have a registered copy of your birth certificate for such a reason. For most states, it can cost quite a bit in fees to get a new copy and the wait can be a month or longer.
 
The article posted by Reader says very clearly:

"Citizenship is a requirement to vote in any federal election, and the federal registration form requires people to state, under penalty of perjury, that they are American citizens. States can use their own forms, but they must be equivalent to the federal form.

The Arizona law, known as Proposition 200 and adopted by Arizona voters in 2004, went further than the federal form by requiring applicants to provide proof of citizenship. Arizona has used the law to reject 30,000 voter applications, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Challengers to the law argued that it put an extra burden on naturalized citizens. Using a naturalization document as proof would require an applicant to register in person, as opposed to through the mail, because federal law prohibits copying the document."
 
To get a teen's ID I had to take birth certificate, ss card, shot record, medicaid card (3 forms of ID), several bills as proof of address in my name. They wouldn't accept it if it was in my husband's name either. Plus, he had to have lived with me at least a month and I had to swear and sign that it was true. They didn't even ask if he wanted to register to vote iirc.
 
So glad that those willing to act in voter fraud will be stopped in their tracks when they read the fine print "under penalty of perjury!" LOL. Donald Duck, Michael Jackson, etc. will be scared :scared:
 
:floorlaugh: Literally just finished talking to a Deputy Fire Marshal who came into our office to have our computer forensics agent do a computer search for evidence in a probable arson/insurance fraud case. We were going over the documents he had as part of the affidavit for the search warrant. Yep, suspect has signed several insurance documents as "under penalty of perjury" & similar legal jargon. The fire department already has enough on this guy to get him for insurance fraud, they're just trying to get more evidence on the arson charges (motive, although not required, and possible conspirators).

Just had to share the timing of it all.


IMO, there should be some way to better prove your citizenship for voting purposes than just signing a document saying you're a good law-abiding citizen and you wouldn't even think of voting twice or for another person, etc. :)
 
IIRC, I had to provide a copy of my birth certificate to get my Social Security card (from the days when kids didn't get them until they were ready to get a summer job).

When I turned 16, I had to provide a copy of my BC to get my driver's license. Every state I lived in after that required me to show my BC and old driver's license to get a new one in their state.

When I applied for a passport, I had to provide a copy of my bc.

When I registered to vote in this state, I had to provide my driver's license and SSN, both of which had been verified with copies of my birth certificate.

So, why would a state think they should make me prove, again and again, that I am a US citizen, when I've already done so numerous times in obtaining my SS card and DL? They already have plenty of documentation in government computer files that verify my US citizenship.

You have to provide your BC to get your SSN, you have to provide it to get your driver's license or other state photo id. Both of those are used as proof of citizenship when you register to vote. Case closed.

I've worked for years at my local Board of Elections, as a polling judge on Election Day. For anyone who is paranoid about voter fraud, I would suggest signing up to get the training and work at a polling place. It will be a good learning experience and will dispel a lot of those silly myths that float around on the internet.
 
IIRC, I had to provide a copy of my birth certificate to get my Social Security card (from the days when kids didn't get them until they were ready to get a summer job).

When I turned 16, I had to provide a copy of my BC to get my driver's license. Every state I lived in after that required me to show my BC and old driver's license to get a new one in their state.

When I applied for a passport, I had to provide a copy of my bc.

When I registered to vote in this state, I had to provide my driver's license and SSN, both of which had been verified with copies of my birth certificate.

So, why would a state think they should make me prove, again and again, that I am a US citizen, when I've already done so numerous times in obtaining my SS card and DL? They already have plenty of documentation in government computer files that verify my US citizenship.

You have to provide your BC to get your SSN, you have to provide it to get your driver's license or other state photo id. Both of those are used as proof of citizenship when you register to vote. Case closed.

I've worked for years at my local Board of Elections, as a polling judge on Election Day. For anyone who is paranoid about voter fraud, I would suggest signing up to get the training and work at a polling place. It will be a good learning experience and will dispel a lot of those silly myths that float around on the internet.

Counterfeit Social Security Cards? I can hook ya up with those who make them.

Counterfeit Drivers License cards? Those too.


I don't know what the answer is (I really don't), but we sure seem pretty lax about making it too easy for those who want to vote fraudulently. For some local elections, a few votes can make a difference.

What are the silly myths floating around the internet?
 
People who are not here legally can vote? Seriously? I can't believe this was even an issue.

The world's gone mad.
 
The thing is... you don't need to be a citizen to have a driver's license, nor do you need to be a citizen to have an SSN. People here on visas can get a driver's license, permanent residents can get an SSN. So it baffles me that they don't ask for proof of citizenship when voting... Those other government IDs prove nothing.
 
The thing is... you don't need to be a citizen to have a driver's license, nor do you need to be a citizen to have an SSN. People here on visas can get a driver's license, permanent residents can get an SSN. So it baffles me that they don't ask for proof of citizenship when voting... Those other government IDs prove nothing.

They are asking for these things in Oregon now! I know of quite a few people who had to take their birth certificates and social security cards to the DMV for renewal recently.
 
Counterfeit Social Security Cards? I can hook ya up with those who make them.

Counterfeit Drivers License cards? Those too.


I don't know what the answer is (I really don't), but we sure seem pretty lax about making it too easy for those who want to vote fraudulently. For some local elections, a few votes can make a difference.

What are the silly myths floating around the internet?



BBM: The biggest myth is that voter fraud is a problem.



http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/voter-id-laws-charts-maps
 
People who are not here legally can vote? Seriously? I can't believe this was even an issue.

The world's gone mad.

No, they cannot vote and it is rare that they try. The Supreme Court merely struck down one of the many attempts to suppress voting by those likely to vote for Democratic candidates.
 
They are asking for these things in Oregon now! I know of quite a few people who had to take their birth certificates and social security cards to the DMV for renewal recently.

The thing is, they wouldn't have to prove citizenship (don't have to be a citizen to have an SSN or tax id, and birth certificates can be substituted with another ID), so their DL is still not proof.

Three words: voter ID cards.
 

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