Do we encourage people to take their ID information to the polls

[goddess40]

to help thwart the voter suppression or does that risk turning people off to voting? I know I'd hate to stand in line for the polls and than get turned away for some bullshit reason. Some people don't have time to go home and find what they need, return to the polls and wait in line again, and some people will just be pissed and go away without voting.

But if we raise the prospect of getting together the documents, mail, passport.... will that make people not vote because it's too much of a hassle? There are people that don't have some of the required stuff, our bills come in my husbands name so they wouldn't work for me.

This is what they will accept at the polls in Wisconsin:
Any of the following may be used as proof if it contains the address of residence:

* A current and valid Wisconsin driver’s license or Wisconsin identification card.
* Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body or unit
* An identification card issued by an employer in the normal course of business, which has a photograph of the cardholder, but not a business card.
* A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date of the election.
* A residential lease.
* A UW-Madison or Edgewood College ID card with a photograph of the cardholder, if student is listed on certified housing list.
* A utility bill for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before the election.
* A bank statement.
* A paycheck.
* A check or other document issued by a unit of government.

(this is from Madison, I have searched on line high and low and can not find a decent list anywhere else.)

[daa]

1. If you don't want to take an ID, vote absentee, nt

[cali]

3. depends where you are. I'd never bother.

There is no requirement for ID to vote in my state.

[nichomachus]

2. Do people really wander around with no ID?

Seriously. I don't go anywhere without an ID.

[PBS Poll-435]

5. I know. WTH?

Step 1. Buy a wallet
Step 2. Put money in it.
Step 3. Put Driver's License, auto insurance card, 1 Credit Card(keep the rest at home), and your bank ATM/Debit Card in it.
Step 4. Pat yourself on the back.

[blondeatlast]

11. No kidding. Geez. nt

[jberryhill]

19. Yes - many people do not own cars or drive /nt

[nichomachus]

24. That doesn't mean you don't have an ID

They're not that hard to get. Heck, if I collapse on the street, I'd like people to know who I am.

[jberryhill]

25. Work two minimum wage jobs...

...and explain how easy it is to get out to the DMV and wait in lines for an afternoon.

[gingersnaps1]

4. I would take my ID. I live in NY and they ask me to present my license everytime I go to vote

[TuxedoKat]

6. Wow, that's weird.

I live in NY too but whenever I try to show them ID, they say it's not necessary.

[blondeatlast]

8. So you go to vote without it? That seems even more wierd. nt

[TuxedoKat]

15. No, I always have some with me just in case, just never needed it.

That's the reason it's strange to me. The previous state I lived in, MO, required ID. I've just never needed it in NY, so I thought the law was the same all over the state, but perhaps not? Now I'm curious to see what the actual state rule is re same.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, just surprised about the differences in polling places in the same state.

[hughee99]

16. I always bring my ID in MA

There's not a lot of people in my hometown, and the lady who (usually) works the ballot handout in my precinct I've known for more than 20 years. I dated her daughter for 3 years (and split on good terms). She always asks me for ID, though I'll admit she doesn't really look at it very closely.

[blondeatlast]

7. The only time I go anywhere without at least one piece of that acceptable ID is to the mailbox.

You might want to take a nice walk to stop the hand-wringing; geez.

[trashcanistanista]

9. Yes, in California, first time voters must show an id or

present a bill with their name and adress on it to vote. I have registered a lot of first time voters and I am telling them to bring id - first time only, after that, they don't have to. I also tell them how to vote at the precinct, what they do when they get there, how to mark the ballot and scan it, etc. I think people find this helpful.

[Barack_America]

10. Yes. yes. yes.

Always. Even if they've voted at their polling place for years.

[goddess40]

12. We DUers always vote and to us it's a no brainer

but I'm talking about the new voters we've convinced to voting and to independents who aren't avid voters.

In Wisconsin we have a right wing AG that has filed suit to make voters have exact match for voting. If your voter registry says John H. Doe and you license says John Doe you have to re-register to vote at the poll.

The republican's also will have poll watchers that will challenge voters who don't have proper ID.

I have never had to show ID so I don't know what to expect this year.

[blondeatlast]

14. Do peopple in WI routimesly go outside their homes with no ID?

Not even a driver's license or state ID card?

I find that INCREDIBLY hard to fathom and I was raised in the midwest.

[goddess40]

17. I think the main worry is about non-driving city voters and poor voters

Like in Milwaukee. So they might not have a state issued ID. To get a state ID is a hassle too, the dept. of motor vehicles is often in hard to reach spots, they have crappy hours and are understaffed.
In my hometown an non-driver who has limited income would find it impossible to get an ID without the help of a good friend. The DMV is unreachable by city bus and a taxi would be too expensive, plus you have to pay for the ID.

But I do know women that will go into the polls and leave their purse in the car, it's central Wisconsin the chance of it getting ripped off is extremely unlikely, because they don't want to hold on to it in line.

[blondeatlast]

18. That's PRECISELY why these laws were enacted; to keep poor voters from voting.

That's why I'm very surprised it's being floated on DU; this is widely known. I campaigned like crazy against our stupid law in Arizona. Most DUers know why the laws were passed.

I suggest you read what major civil rights groups say about these laws.

[jberryhill]

20. Yes

Many people do not own cars or drive.

To get a state ID in order to vote, you have to take time off from work.

[stuntcat]

13. the ladies checking us in to vote know me :)

They're some conservative Republican shitheads I volunteer with.
They know I'm voting against them every time but they have to let me do it :headbang:

[seabeyond]

21. i refuse. i take only reg card. that is the law here in texas. n/t

[Heather MC]

22. My Voter Registration card says, present that card OR another legal form of ID

[Blue_In_AK]

23. We are required to show ID here.

I always take my driver's license and my voter registration card, but one or the other would work.