Sen. Rand Paul says that while he supports voter ID laws, it’s a “dumb idea” for Republicans to make them big campaign issues.
The Kentucky Republican said Sunday on “Meet the Press” that black voters will equate voter ID laws to Jim Crow-era voter suppression.
“I don’t think there’s a problem with showing your ID. But I do think there’s a problem with Republicans saying, ‘Hey, our big issue for the campaign is going to be voter ID.’ Because what it creates is, in a lot of African-Americans, understandably, remember the ’40s and ’50s in the South,” he said.
“And they remember suppression of the vote. And they equate that.”
Paul insisted the bigger issue at hand is helping people to get out and vote, and not just expressing support vocally, but with federal legislation.
“I say, ‘I want more people to vote. I’m for enhancing vote.’ And I actually sponsor a bill with Harry Reid that would restore voting rights to people who had youthful, nonviolent crimes, that served their time,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean that I think it’s unreasonable. I just think it’s a dumb idea for Republicans to emphasize this and say, ‘Oh, this is how we’re going to win the election,'” Paul said.
