New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that there was a “democracy problem” in the U.S. caused by the fact that the states are allowed to pass the laws that govern voting. Federal reform of the process is needed, he said.
“Our elections are governed by state law and for a long time I’ve believed we need to make a fundamental series of reforms,” de Blasio told CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “Let’s face it, a lot of the people in the political class have tried to discourage voter involvement and a lot of incumbents prefer a very small electorate.”
The mayor referred to several Republican governors who have signed laws requiring photo identification by voters, arguing the provision is a modest step to prevent fraud. Democrats like de Blasio counter that Republicans’ interests are more partisan: They want to discourage some people from voting altogether.
Hillary Clinton, the leading candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, made the same argument in a speech last week, singling out several Republican governors.
The mayor, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination, said he agreed with Clinton on this. “Secretary Clinton put forward a notion we need a national strategy to energize voting again, to get people involved. Obviously, to address the many efforts made by Republicans to repress voter involvement,” he said.
Republican governors have shot back.
“Well, first, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. … [T]he fact is that the folks in New Jersey have plenty of an opportunity to vote. And maybe, you know, if she took some questions some places and learned some things, maybe she wouldn’t make such ridiculous statements,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told CBS.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the laws are broadly supported by the public. “She is basically looking at the people of Texas and other states that have put voter identification laws into place and saying, ‘We don’t trust you.’ ”
