Sam Yoon asks the right questions about voter ID proposal
10.24.06 - Posted by AsiansVote
Thumbs up to Boston City Councillor Sam Yoon for asking the right questions when one of his colleagues tried to introduce a proposal to require voters to show ID. From the Boston Herald:
[City Councilor Jerry P.] McDermott said he plans to ask the City Council this week to hold a hearing with city and state election officials about what is being done to ensure that only legal citizens vote at Hub polling places.
He withdrew a similar proposal from consideration last week after City Councilor at large Sam Yoon objected to some of the language.
“Somebody just needs to present any credible evidence that there is this widespread fraud and abuse,” Yoon said. “I think it’s largely a myth and it feeds anti-immigrant sentiment.”
The
National Voting Rights Institute explains why voter ID proposals are a bad idea:
"We oppose the call for new voter identification requirements in Boston because such requirements threaten to disenfranchise perhaps tens of thousands of eligible voters who lack government- issued photo ID, particularly the elderly, people with disabilities, the poor and people of color.
"National research has shown that strict voter ID requirements could have a negative impact on the right to vote for millions of U.S. citizens, but there are still officials who attempt to make it a prerequisite for voting, advancing voter ID with false allegations of individual 'voter fraud', which research shows to be minimal.
"Voter ID, in fact, has no role in fixing the real ailments of our election system and would not protect against the rare occurrence of 'voter fraud'. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reports that while 200 million votes were cast in federal elections since October 2002, only 86 individuals have been convicted of federal voter fraud -- and none for offenses that would have been prevented by a voter ID requirement. An extensive analysis of election fraud conducted by Professor Lorraine Minnite at Barnard College in 2002 -- the only study of its kind, to date -- found that voter fraud is rare and that safeguards to prevent fraud are already in place.
The NVRI notes that the photo ID requirement could have a particularly negative effect on Asian American voters:
"Furthermore, research shows that requiring a drivers' license or other photo ID to vote would have a particularly discriminatory impact in Boston, where many people do not own cars and may not have a drivers' license. U.S. Census data show that 33 percent of households in Boston own no vehicle. These rates are even higher among minority households in Boston than among white households: 38 percent of African-American households, 41 percent of Latino households and 45 percent of Asian households lack any vehicle, compared to 29 percent of white households.
Keep fighting this one, Sam Yoon! Thousands of American citizens are depending on you to protect their ability to vote.
Boston citizens, feel free to let Yoon know you're supporting him on this one -- here's his campaign website and here's his City Council website.
Incidentally, this is another excellent reminder why electing progressive Asian Americans to local office is incredibly important. A curtailment of voting rights in one town can have national implications. We need folks like Sam Yoon everywhere we can get them. So as you think about where to toss a few extra dollars in the next few weeks, don't forget candidates like these three Asian American Democrats running for the Texas State Legislature: Hubert Vo, Phillip Shinoda, and Chad Khan.
10.24.06 |
Candidates & Leaders
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Issues
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Sam Yoon
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Voting Rights & Responsibilities
