Letter Calls “Suppress the Minority Vote” Allegations “Utter Nonsense”
JULY 25, 2012 — The today is sending letters to four of five governors who vetoed legislation requiring photo voter IDs in order to deter vote fraud. A fifth letter, to New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, was discarded after the legislature voted to overturn his veto and the bill became law, subject to Department of Justice approval.
Signed by ACRU policy board members former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III, former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and ACRU Chairman Susan A. Carleson, the letters were mailed to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, Missouri Gov. Jeremiah Nixon, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue.
In each state, both houses of the legislature had passed photo ID laws, which were vetoed by the governors, all of whom are Democrats.
The letters, which urge the governors to sign any new photo ID legislation, observe that:
“It is a sad commentary that states acting to protect their electoral process through common-sense actions, like requiring a valid photo ID to vote, have been vilified for allegedly attempting to ‘suppress the minority vote,’ or even ‘bring back Jim Crow laws.’ That is utter nonsense!
“Securing the integrity of the ballot box is in every American’s interest regardless of race, party, or ethnicity. In two federal cases, including a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding Indiana’s photo ID law, not a single plaintiff could be found who could plausibly claim inability to obtain a photo ID.”
The letter also calls upon “all states to safeguard the integrity of our uniquely American right of self-governance by taking common-sense measures such as:
- Require a photo ID to vote in person;
- Require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote;
- Require signature verification and an acceptable proof of ID when voting by mail.
For more information on vote fraud news, court activity and legislation, see the ACRU’s unique Web page www.DefendElectionIntegrity.org.
