Colin Powell, alleged Republican and actual Obama supporter, insists that voter ID laws, like the new North Carolina law, are racist. Recently, Powell attacked North Carolina's law.
From Politico:
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell bashed North Carolina’s recent voting law at a forum in the state Thursday, with the governor that signed the bill in the audience.
Powell said the law harms the Republican Party at the CEO Forum in Raleigh, N.C., according to the Raleigh News and Observer.
“It immediately turns off a voting block the Republican Party needs,” Powell said. “These kinds of actions do not build on the base. It just turns people away. … I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it more difficult to vote.”
...The bill requires voters to show government-issued ID, shortens early voting and ends early pre-registration for teens, among other changes. Civil rights groups have already challenged the law in federal courts.
Thursday, Powell said the bill sends a bad message to minorities.
“What it really says to the minority voters is … ‘We really are sort-of punishing you,’” Powell said.
...“You can say what you like, but there is no voter fraud,” Powell said. “How can it be widespread and undetected?”
It is absurd to claim that showing an ID to vote is a punishment.
If that's a punishment, then why isn't Powell crusading to stop ID requirements in other instances? Why doesn't he consider ID requirements to be punishing minorities in cases such as applying for food stamps or purchasing cold medicines and alcohol?
From the Washington Examiner, here are 24 things that require a photo ID:
1. Alcohol
2. Cigarettes
3. Opening a bank account
4. Apply for food stamps
5. Apply for welfare
6. Apply for Medicaid/Social Security
7. Apply for unemployment or a job
8. Rent/buy a house, apply for a mortgage
9. Drive/buy/rent a car
10. Get on an airplane
11. Get married
12. Purchase a gun
13. Adopt a pet
14. Rent a hotel room
15. Apply for a hunting license
16. Apply for a fishing license
17. Buy a cell phone
18. Visit a casino
19. Pick up a prescription
20. Hold a rally or protest
21. Blood donations
22. Buy an "M" rated video game
23. Purchase nail polish at CVS
24. Purchase certain cold medicines
Powell and his comrades who claim that showing an ID to vote is a punishment are embarrassing. Their arguments against voter ID laws are laughably inconsistent.
Why aren't they demanding that all ID laws and requirements be eliminated because they're inherently racist?
They aren't demanding that because it would be ridiculous.
Bottom line: We need to protect the integrity of our elections. Showing an ID to cast one's vote is not unreasonable at all.
