Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) split from his fellow Republicans on the issue of voter ID laws Friday and advised his colleagues to not “go too crazy” on the issue because “it’s offending people.”
“Everybody’s gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing,” Paul told The New York Times. “I think it’s wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it’s offending people.
The 2016 hopeful, who was in Memphis, Tenn., for the Republican National Committee’s spring meeting, differed from many Republicans who advocate for strict voter ID laws. Proponents of such legislation view voter ID as a way to crack down on voter fraud, while opponents believe it keeps African-Americans and other minorities from the polls.
Last year’s United States Supreme Court decision, which struck down a central measure in the Voting Rights Act, opened the door for states to enact voter ID laws. And since then, states like Texas, North Carolina and New Hampshire have put have voter ID laws on the books.
Courts in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, however, have ruled that their voter ID legislation violates the Constitution.
While Paul did not denounce voter ID laws outright, he did note that much of the debate has been “swept up in the tempest of racial politics” and said Republicans “had been somewhat tone dear on the issue.”
And though the Tea Party darling said last year there was no evidence voter ID laws prevent African-Americans from voting, he told the Times the issue should be left to the states.
Still, during an interview at the University of Chicago with David Axelrod last month, Paul contended that voter ID laws do serve a purpose. He reconciled, however, that Republicans “may have over-emphasized” incidents of fraud.
“Here is the point conservatives make, and it’s a fairly valid point,” he said. “If you are in government, I could never visit you or Eric Holder or anybody else without a drivers license. Is that not a minimal standard, particularly when we say we’ll give you one for free?”
In his interview with the Times, Paul emphasized his commitment to restoring voting rights for felons, an issue he has been a staunch proponent of.
“The bigger issue actually is whether you get to vote if you have a felony conviction,” he said. “There’s 180,000 people in Kentucky who can’t vote. And I don’t know the racial breakdown, but it’s probably more black than white because they’re convicted felons. And I’m for getting their right to vote back, which is a much bigger deal than showing your driver’s license.”
