Supreme court upholds voter ID law, disenfranchising native Americans in ND

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Cuddles, Oct 13, 2018.

  1. Cuddles

    Cuddles

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-...ld-by-supreme-court-could-affect-senate-race/

    http://fortune.com/2018/10/10/supreme-court-north-dakota-voter-id-laws/

    The Supreme Court ruled this week to uphold a North Dakota voter identification law which requires that voters present an ID which includes a residential address in order to vote, potentially restricting the rights of Native Americans in the state who do not have residential addresses.

    Native Americans living on reservations often do not have residential addresses, but have IDs which feature P.O. boxes. Native Americans are North Dakota's largest minority population, comprising over 5 percent of the state's population.

    This Supreme Court ruling could significantly affect the re-election chances of Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, who is trailing Republican opponent Kevin Cramer in polling. Heitkamp won her seat by just under 3,000 votes in 2012, with the help of Native American voters. If a few thousand Native American voters lack the necessary identification and are unable to vote, that could damage Heitkamp in a close race.

    However, it is possible to obtain a residential address before Election Day, according to a Facebook post by the organization Native Vote ND, which encourages voter participation by Native Americans in the state.

    Individuals can reach out to their county's 911 coordinator to begin the process of having a residential address assigned. They can then describe where their homes are located, enabling coordinators to assign addresses. The office assigning the addresses will provide letters upon request to confirm each individual's new address. The voter can use this letter to obtain a new ID, or as proof of a residential address for voting purposes.
     
  2. DTB2

    DTB2

    Gee, why didn't they think of getting addresses before? Like in 2017 when it was signed into law.
     
  3. TJustice

    TJustice

    The return to sanity begins.

    A candidate needs to sue California to make sure we check IDs before someone is allowed to vote.
     
    smallfil and Clubber Lang like this.
  4. Cuddles

    Cuddles

    1st they wanted to make sure you were a citizen
    Then they wanted to make sure you were you
    Now they want to make sure you're a land owner.
    Next they'll want to make sure you're a right leaning Aryan.
     
  5. smallfil

    smallfil

    Where do these guys live that they do not have an address? I find it hard to believe that they are homeless? Native American Indians get a monthly stipend of $3,000 from the Federal Government. That includes those that own and operate the casinos. That is aside from the casinos they operate everywhere. A lot of them get another $100,000 or more per person as their share of the casino profits. And if they are not getting their share of casino profits, they should sue their fellow tribe members for not giving them their fair share! Some lawsuits have been filed regarding this dispute.
     
  6. smallfil

    smallfil

    In California, they issued drivers licenses to illegals and most likely, registered them to vote as well! Remember the California Secretary of State would not cooperate with President Trump's committee then, investigating voter fraud? The good thing, they have started more aggressively, prosecuting illegals voting in US elections in other states! Eventually, California will be held accountable and those guilty of voting in spite of not being US citizens charged as well!
     
    CaptainObvious likes this.
  7. Tom B

    Tom B

     
  8. DTB2

    DTB2

    Umm, renters have addresses as to people living with family.

    Swiiiiing and a miss
     
    smallfil likes this.
  9. Cuddles

    Cuddles

    On October 9, the US Supreme Court denied NARF’s emergency application to stop the State of North Dakota from implementing a discriminatory voter ID law. After the District Court found the law had a disproportionate and discriminatory effect on Native voters, the Eighth Circuit issued an opinion overturning the Court-ordered relief. In so doing, the Eighth Circuit changed the identification laws on the eve of the election and after early voting already had begun. The majority of Supreme Court justices decided to allow the Eighth Circuit decision to stand. However, Justices Ginsburg and Kagan noted in their dissent that:

    The risk of voter confusion appears severe here because the injunction against requiring residential-address identification was in force during the primary election and because the Secretary of State’s website announced for months the ID requirements as they existed under that injunction.

    Now, voters in North Dakota may find when they go to the polls in November that the voter ID that they used in the primary just a few months earlier is no longer accepted because it does not include their current residential address. In this case, Native American voters will be especially affected because they often lack residential street addresses because their homes do not have addresses on them by no fault of their own.

    According to NARF Staff Attorney Jacqueline De León, “Access to voting should not be dependent on whether one lives in a city or on a reservation. The District Court in North Dakota has found this voter identification law to be discriminatory; nothing in the law has changed since that finding. North Dakota Native American voters will now have to vote under a system that unfairly burdens them more than other voters. We will continue to fight this discriminatory law.”

    With the Supreme Court decision, and as we head into an election, North Dakota is able to enact a voter identification law that will take away the opportunity to vote for thousands of Native American United States citizens. NARF will continue to fight this law and invites any North Dakotan Native American who encounters problems voting to contact us at vote@narf.org.
     
    #10     Oct 14, 2018
    piezoe likes this.