Unintentional Discrimination

The states of Wisconsin, Texas and Pennsylvania have been challenged in court for implementing voter identification laws requiring one to present a photo ID in order to cast a ballot. Proponents of this piece of legislation contend that it will help combat voter fraud (Berman, 2012). Yet, its opponents argue that these laws disadvantage minority, poor and young voters. On this issue, I tend to side with those who believe that voter ID laws discriminate against particular population groups. In my opinion, this discrimination is also intentional.I believe that voter ID laws are discriminatory for several reasons. First of all, an average American voter is not sophisticated. Therefore, not everyone knows about the requirements. Many people have been voting for years one way, so the new ID requirement might simply come as a huge surprise to them that they can no longer do what they have always done. Second, Berman (2012) reports that at least 10 percent of the population does not hold the proper ID for perfectly legitimate reasons. These people – students and minorities – happen to vote predominantly for the Democratic Party. As a result, the voter ID laws might unfairly benefit Republicans. Third, proponents of the voter ID legislation have to confront the reality that actual cases of voter place fraud by non-citizens are practically nonexistent. Taking measures which might restrict the right of citizens to vote in order to fix a problem whose existence rests on very shaky evidence seems to be a waste of energy and resources. Furthermore, it is not always easy to get an ID, especially when one is pressed for time.The efforts to pass and enact this law lacked bipartisan support. I believe that the Republican Party is the only beneficiary of this legislation, which tends to intentionally discriminate against left-leaning groups of the population. ReferencesBerman, Ari. (2012, August 27). Discriminatory South Carolina Voter ID Law Challenged in Federal Court - UPDATED. The Nation. Retrieved from …