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Comment by throwaway657656 | Hacker News Reader

"I don't have an ID because I have no job, no bank account, no need to drive or fly anywhere. I am not a parent or guardian, I don't pay taxes, I have no attachments to society... I am basically the most irresponsible person I know, but when it comes to elections, I'm a patriotic citizen and I VOTE!".

Am I straw-manning with this made-up quote ? Who exactly is this law trying to protect. The liberal knee-jerk response regarding election security is "when has that ever happened before?". Do they seriously not know security doesn't work that way.

Enough already! Hand conservatives an olive-branch and unite on election security. Or be complicit in making Jan 6th the new normal.

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> Who exactly is this law trying to protect

We have evidence voter ID laws suppress minority turnout [1]. Plenty of people are disorganised or poor enough that they don’t consistently have unexpired ID.

There are arguments for voter ID laws. But dismissing the evidence against them isn’t honest.

> making Jan 6th the new normal

Agree that we need stronger stomachs when prosecuting and punishing treason—our Constitution is unambiguous about its consequences. (As is history about the normalisation of violence as a political tool. Ironically, it never ends well for anyone except the rich and powerful.)

[1] http://ippsr.msu.edu/research/voter-identification-laws-and-...

> Hand conservatives an olive-branch and unite on election security. Or be complicit in making Jan 6th the new normal.

Why don't conservatives try it the other way around? They could alleviate the concerns of the other side by first making sure everyone gets access to free, fast and easy ID. Once everyone has one, voter ID laws can be introduced.

But it's the same story as with the ACA repeal and other initiatives - the first step must always be the one that coincidentally aligns with their goals, while any further steps must happen only after the first step was taken (and it just so happens they can completely block anything else due to legislative gridlock). Repeal first, bring a replacement later. Voter ID now, broad equal access to ID later.

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