Black Virginia lawmakers invoked memories of the Jim Crow laws and poll taxes of the Old South Tuesday to protest new Republican-backed voting rule changes that are moving quickly through the General Assembly despite warnings that they’ll suppress minority votes. Republicans easily pushed the first of several voting-related legislation through the House of Delegates — a bill that changes how a voter casts a ballot if he or she forgets to bring an ID. Voters who don’t show an ID currently sign an oath punishable by perjury promising to be the registered voter on record. Under the new rule, voters instead would have to fill out a provisional ballot, which election officials could later deem invalid if the person can’t prove his or her identity.
The Legislative Black Caucus warned minorities and low-income seniors may not have access to transportation or the time to get back to a polling place to prove their identity, essentially negating their vote. Virginia already requires residents to show a voter registration card, a Social Security card or a state-issued ID.
Republicans insist the new measures are aimed at restoring integrity to elections and preventing voter fraud.
“Where’s the empirical data that shows senior citizens and minorities carry an ID less than Caucasians or young Caucasians?” asked Del. Jackson Miller, R-Manassas. “If one person commits voter fraud in the commonwealth of Virginia, he disenfranchises everyone who has voted.”
Democrats counter that’s a manufactured problem and it follows the national Republican playbook ahead of the 2012 elections to disenfranchise those likely to vote for President Obama in the fall. Legislatures recently taken over by Republicans in states like Wisconsin have put in place for the first time laws requiring a state-issued photo ID.
“They want to turn back the clock toward a time when it was prohibitively difficult for African-Americans to vote,” said Sen. Yvonne Miller, D-Norfolk.
Because of its racist electoral history, any changes to voting rules in Virginia are subject to Justice Department review to ensure the state complies with the Voting Rights Act. During a speech on Martin Luther King Jr. Day last month, Attorney General Eric Holder vowed to strike down blatant attempts to suppress the black vote. His office recently objected to a new voter photo ID law in South Carolina.
