Indiana Court Strikes Down Tough Voter ID Law

Indiana Court Strikes Down Tough Voter ID Law

Thursday, September 17, 2009 10:40 PM

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana's Court of Appeals has struck down a state law requiring government-issued photo identification for voters. The law had previously been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Thursday appeals court ruling says the law violates the state constitution because it regulates voters unequally. It says the law requires voters to verify their identify at the ballot box, but there is no such requirement for voting by mail.

Critics say the law disenfranchises some poor, older and minority voters. Supporters contend it prevents voter fraud at the polls.

The Indiana Democratic Party previously challenged the law in federal court. But the U.S. Supreme Court upheld it by a 6-3 vote in April 2008.

The League of Women Voters is now challenging the law in state courts.

Source: Associated Press

http://www.newsmax.com/politics/us_vote ... 61648.html

Okay, check the water and take some air quality samples in that courthouse.

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The law had previously been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Is this one-upsmanship on the part of this court?

I wish the law were nationwide!

Ratbstard wrote:
I wish the law were nationwide!

I'm afraid this ruling will make it almost impossible for this to be passed on a state-by-state basis now. Texas state legislators asked the TX Attorney General to rule on the possible consitutionality of all legislation proposed to prevent illegal aliens access to state services and that dealing with voter registration and voting. When the U.S. Supreme Ct. upheld Indiana's state Photo I.D. law, it gave great hope that state "Photo I.D. laws" could be passed in Texas and across the nation. I don't have any in-depth legal knowledge, but this ruling seems like a major setback and perhaps permanent end to that hope.

If Indiana 'fixes' the write in vote situation the problem would be solved.

Voter ID Law Ruled Unconstitutional


Last Updated: Mon, 09/21/2009 - 11:55am

An Indiana voter identification law upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last year has been overturned by a state court that claims the measure is unconstitutional because it’s not “uniform and impartial."

Passed by the Indiana Legislature in 2005 to prevent voter fraud, the law requires citizens to provide government-issued photo identification at the polls. More than 20 states have passed similar measures to prevent fraud and many have been legally challenged by Democrats and civil rights groups that claim requiring ID to vote deters the poor, elderly and minorities from casting ballots.

Arguing that it disenfranchises minorities and the poor, Democrats fought Indiana’s law in federal court and lost. In a 6-3 decision (Crawford v. Marion County Election Board) last year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state’s photo ID requirement “is amply justified by the valid interest in protecting the integrity and reliability of the electoral processâ€

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Obama’s Justice Department said it puts an undue burden on blacks, Hispanics and Asians to prove their citizenship when trying to vote.

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What 'undue' burden? It's my understanding that every citizen of the USA is required to have some form of ID if stopped by law enforcement for any violation of law. Or does that change from state to state?

[quote]Calling the decision a “transparentlyâ€

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"Even if he's right, the Obama Administration may step in anyways and block the ID law the way it did in Georgia a few months ago."

How can they do this? Is it because Georgia still remains under special federal voter jurisdiction because of previous discrimination, even though that now was many years ago? I believe both Arizona and Oklahoma included similar Voter I.D. requirements in their state laws.