______________________________
Controversial new voter identification laws in nearly two dozen US states could disenfranchise 10 million eligible Hispanic voters in the upcoming election. Host Jessica Jordan spoke with Erin Hustings, senior policy analyst with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, to discuss the study’s findings.
Erin Hustings
This study underscores what we’ve known all long since this law came to be passed at the state level, which is that it has serious implications for Latino voters, in particular, and for the health of our democracy. Now, it’s important, more than ever, that we create voting mechanisms in which citizens are able to fully participate in. The Latino electorate is growing and reaching historic numbers. Therefore, we feel that now it’s time to determine how to get those people involved in voting rather than to figure out ways to set new barriers for voters.
Jessica Jordan
How do the laws differ from state to state at this point?
Erin Hustings
The worst form of ID law requires voters to show a government-issued photo ID at the polls. Other states have more flexible laws, which allow voters to prove their identities by showing non-photo documents, or, documents issued by other institutions, such as an employer or a school. That flexibility is important, because there’re many-many hundreds of thousands of voters who don’t have a state-issued photo ID, because they simply don’t need it.
Jessica Jordan
Can you talk about some of those cases in which they don’t need ID?
Erin Hustings
Sure! Studies have shown us that young voters tend to lack ID at disproportionate rates. The youngest voters, who’re 18, 19 or in their 20s, are less likely to be drivers today, so they didn’t go to the DMV and get a driving licence. There’re also people who are struggling in the current economic recession and they’ve been disproportionately unable to pay the fees associated with getting a license or government-issued ID.
Jessica Jordan
Which state would be mostly affected if Latino voters don’t go to the polls?
Erin Hustings
Some of the states with largest percentages of Latino electorate include states that are battleground states and where the presidential election certainly will be closely contested, like New Mexico and Florida. In 2008, for example, more than a third of all voters in New Mexico were Latino. A few other states amongst the battleground states that people look to when they’re trying to project the outcome of the election are also states with very significant Latino electorates. Colorado is another one, as is Nevada. In fact, the Latino electorate is growing rapidly in states that are not battleground states now, but they may be battleground states in future. The Latino influence on the outcome of the election is only going to grow. In general, the Latino population in the USA grew most rapidly in the South-east, actually. Thus, we expect the Latino electorate to have an increasing influence on the outcome of elections from here to the future in states like Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee… they’re actually the states with fastest-growing Latino population.
Jessica Jordan
Are there certain states that will really feel the effect then from the new Voter ID Law?
Erin Hustings
The particular states where Voter ID Law could have the biggest numerical impact on the Latino electorate would clearly be Texas amongst the states that have passed a strict ID Law already. The Federal Court in DC halted Texas, and we don’t believe it’ll implement this law, but surveys and calculations tell us that as many as 700,000 Latino voters in Texas may not currently have a state-issued photo ID card. Consequently, if that law were to go to effect, it could have an impact on a very large number of Latino voters
26 September 2012
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_09_25/US-voter-ID-laws-could-bar-10-million-Hispanics/
Editor’s Note:
The Republican Party is scared shitless of Hispanic voters… as far too many of them were screwed to the wall by soulless GOP businessmen (often, they’re pietistic Evangelical “tithers”… fancy that… trying to “buy off” God). That’s why the GOP is trying to steal this election for Willy in the same manner as the 2000 election was stolen for GWB. Texas is no surprise… it’s had a crank political culture since the Anglo slave-owners revolted in 1836… it’s no mistake that Texas has the most nasty and brutal prison system in the country. Not only is its ruling class scared to death of Hispanic revanche and a Mexican Reconquista, its cruelty is magnified by the godless “Christian atheism” of the sectarianism regnant in the state (Louisiana next door has a much more humane prison system… because of the influence of Christianity in Catholicism).
Therefore, the Republican Party seeks ways of disenfranchising people. That’s why all decent people must oppose them. Do you want a set of ultra-religious yahoos dictating to the rest of us? Think deeply on that…
BMD
Voices from Russia 
16 June 2016. Friends Don’t Let Friends Vote for Neoliberals… Both “Conservative” and “Liberal”
Tags: 2016 US Presidential election, Bernie Sanders, Bill Clinton, Capitalism, Donald Trump, Election, elections, George W. Bush, GWB, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Jill Stein, laissez faire capitalism, Libertarian, Libertarianism, neocon, neoconservatism, oligarchs, political commentary, politics, rich, riches, United States, US elections, USA, wealth
______________________________
Don’t vote for Trump the Chump or Chilly Hilly… both are neoliberal pro-Corporatist scummers. If he runs, vote for Bernie… if not, vote for Jill Stein. Don’t vote for either side of the duopoly. BOTH ARE EQUALLY EVIL. The presidencies of George W Bush and Bill Clinton proved that. There wasn’t a tuppence worth of difference between Bush and Clinton. Do reflect on this… Chilly Hilly is Bill’s wife… Bill is using her to subvert the Constitution. Do ponder that…
BMD