8 May 2012 6:00 pm
Voter-ID Schemes Keep Snagging The ElderlyRepublican policymakers across the country are pushing a variety of schemes as part of the war on voting, but none are as pernicious as voter-ID measures. The practical effect of these laws will be to keep more minorities and senior citizens from participating in elections.And the examples to reinforce the concerns keep piling up. Tanya Somanader yesterday highlighted the story of Wisconsins Ruthelle Frank, whos been voting for 63 years.Though paralyzed on her left side since birth, the 84-year-old fiery woman voted in every election since 1948 and even got elected herself as a member of the Brokaw Village Board. But because of the states new voter ID law, 2012 will be the first year Frank cant vote. Born after a difficult birth at her home in 1927, Frank never received an official birth certificate. Her mother recorded it in her family Bible and Frank has a certification of baptism from a few months later, along with a Social Security card, a Medicare statement, and a checkbook. But without the official document, she cant secure the state ID card that the new law requires to vote next year. Its really crazy, she added. Ive got all this proof. You mean to tell me that Im not a U.S. citizen? But state officials have informed Frank that, because the state Register of Deeds does have a record of her birth, they can issue her a new birth certificate for a fee. And because of a spelling error, that fee may be as high as $200:Remember, the voter-ID law was approved by Republicans to address a problem that doesnt exist. Voters are facing these burdensome hurdles to prevent fraud thats almost entirely limited to right-wing imaginations.And yet, Ruthelle Frank isnt alone. Its the years biggest scandal that most Americans have probably heard nothing about.Tennessee Agency Charges 86-Year Old Veteran An Unconstitutional Poll Tax To Obtain Voter IDThis 93-Year-Old Grandmother Is Suing Pennsylvania Over Voter ID Laws91-Year-Old Tennessee Woman Cant Vote Because She Cant Stand In Line For HoursBut here's the good news.Amid Push For Voter Suppression Laws, Minority Voter Registration DeclinesAfter all that was the idea, wasn't it? Who wants those pesky minorities to vote? Edited by MistyBlue, 08 May 2012 - 06:01 PM.