With the Commonwealth's onerous voter ID law likely to stand, I decided to make sure I wouldn't have a problem in November by checking my ID's. First, I checked my voter registration card, you know, the one I got when I registered to vote but somehow is incapable of identifying me as a registered voter. It has my first name, middle initial and last name. Then I checked my driver's license. It also has my first and last names, but my full middle name. Will this be sufficient? Or will some petty official, high or small, be able to deny me my right to vote based on this discrepency?
Since I work for the gubmint, I checked my county issued ID. Should be OK, even though the picture of me was taken 20 years ago. Unfortunatly, it contains neither my address or, more importantly, an expiration date, which the Commonwealth is requiring to constitute a "valid" ID.
How about the photo ID issued me by the state as part of my certification? It has an expiration date, and it has the same photo that's on my license, so that should be OK, right? Maybe, maybe not. Due to a clerical error, it contains an incorrect middle initial.
How about my concealed carry permit? Photo? Check. Expiration date? Check? Name listed the same was as on my registration card? Check. Unfortunately, again due to a clerical error, it has my street name misspelled. My neighborhood has Highland, Hiland, Hilands, and Highlands as streets roads and avenues, all of these are different streets, and all are in various wards or precincts. Is this ID any good? Who knows!
The Commonwealth is saying that so long as an ID "substantially conforms" to the voter registration records, it will be honored. The problem is that "substantially conforms" is a subjective standard, open to interpretation by whoever is making the call. I'm fairly confident that I'll be OK, but not completely confident. For the first time since I turned 18, I'm concerned that I just might not be able to cast a ballot.
Maybe I can get authorization for some out of state coursework that week, in order to be eligible to cast an absentee ballot.
Meanwhile, we learned this recently, from the State of Ohio:
“I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban — read African-American — voter-turnout machine,” said Doug Preisse, chairman of the county Republican Party and elections board member who voted against weekend hours, in an email to The Dispatch.
Yep, these new laws across the country have nothing at all to do with trying to suppress potential Democratic voters, nothing to see here, LOOK!! PRINCE HARRY IS NEKKID!!!