Constitutional Law

Voter ID: Nun of the Above

"About 12 Indiana nuns were turned away Tuesday from a polling place by a fellow bride of Christ because they didn't have state or federal identification bearing a photograph," the Associated Press reported. It added:

They weren't given provisional ballots because it would be impossible to get them to a motor vehicle branch and back in the 10-day time frame allotted by the law, Sister McGuire said. "You have to remember that some of these ladies don't walk well. They're in wheelchairs or on walkers or electric carts."

According to the story:

Indiana's photo ID law is the strictest in the country. The Republican-led effort [to pass the law] was designed to combat ballot fraud, said supporters, who also have acknowledged that no case involving someone impersonating a voter at the polls has ever been prosecuted in Indiana.

The state's American Civil Liberties Union sued, calling the law a poll tax that disproportionately affected minorities and elderly voters, those most likely to lack such identification. On April 28, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that the law did not violate the Constitution.

ACS hosted a panel discussion on the Indiana voter-ID case (video, transcript, excerpts), released an analysis of the decision, and provided a forum for experts to explore whether voter-ID laws prevent fraud or suppress the vote (video, excerpts).

Full post as published by ACS Blog on May 06, 2008 (boomark / email).