Photo: Alisha Dixon
By Alisha Dixon
Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP, announced the organization will aggressively fight against voter suppression efforts proposed by state of Michigan legislators.
“It’s a black issue, white issue, Hispanic issue, Arab issue. We must all be concerned with what Michigan legislators are trying to do. It affects everyone,” Rev. Anthony said.
Michigan legislators claim the new bills, Michigan House Bills 6066, 6067 and 6068, will address the issue of voter fraud. Something, Rev. Anthony said, is not a valid issue.
“There has been no evidence to date by anyone to confirm this is a fact. Members of the Republican led legislature in the Michigan House have presented no evidence of voter fraud, impersonation, or insulation by individuals who have voted illegally,” Rev. Anthony revealed.
“The fraud is in the perpetuation of these laws,” said Anthony.
From 2000 until 2014, presidential experts said, out of one billion votes, only been 31 have been proven to be cases of voter fraud.
The bills, he said, are “another attempt to diminish, disrespect and belittle the very essence of who we are as a nation. They are designed to reduce the votes of young people, seniors, rural and urban citizens and people of color.”
The ACLU believes “voter ID laws have a disproportionate and unfair impact on low-income individuals, racial and ethnic minority voters, students, senior citizens, voters with disabilities and others who do not have a government-issued ID or the money to acquire one.”
Data released by the ACLU shows 11% of U.S. citizens, more than 21 million, 25% of African Americans of voting age, 8% of whites of voting age and 18% of Americans over the age of 65, about 6 million, do not have a government-issued photo ID.
Currently, in the state of Michigan, voter’s who want to vote, but fail to provide photo identification can sign an affidavit “attesting that he or she is not in possession of picture identification” and the vote will still be counted.
The new bills will require voter’s without photo identification to also sign an affidavit, but must provide photo identification within 10 days. This, the NAACP said, is nearly impossible. According to the Michigan Secretary of State website, “standard or enhanced state ID card is valid for up to four years and should arrive in the mail within two to three weeks.”
Some believe legislators are attempting to reverse what is now guaranteed under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The total cost of the three bills is $10 million. An amount, Anthony said, could be spent to improve the voting system, not suppress votes.
“The $10 million that some of the legislators are proposing to put in this bill, put it in an issue where there is really a problem. The problem in Detroit and other cities where you don’t have your vote accurately being counted. If you want to fix voting, fix the machine, bring us into the 21st century, give us more poll workers, and fix the optical scanners.”
Rev. Anthony urged the public to respond to the bills by demonstrating on the steps of the state capital on Tuesday to get the attention of lawmakers.
“It is time for people to stand up and say ‘Hell no, we won’t go for this.”
About Post Author
