r/nottheonion • u/MORaHo04 • May 02 '24

Boris Johnson turned away from polling station after forgetting to bring photo ID

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/may/02/minister-sorry-as-veterans-find-id-card-not-valid-for-english-elections
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u/Narren_C May 02 '24

I'll never understand why this is so controversial. You need an ID to do anything, who are these people in society that don't have one?

I've been a police officer for many years. I speak from experience when I say that virtually everyone carries an ID. Elderly people have them, young adults have them, homeless people have them. Everyone has one because you need one for so many things.

If someone is indigent then I have no issue with them being able to obtain an ID for free, so if that's the hang up then we can require that as an attachment to voter ID laws.

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u/TerrapinTribe May 02 '24

Because it costs money to get an ID. It’s a poll tax.

It also requires you to stand in line for hours when the DMVs are only open 9-5 Monday - Friday, so you have to miss an entire day of work and lose those wages, furthering the poll tax.

And hey, by the way, none of those DMVs are near bus stops or other public transport. So if you don’t have a car, you need someone else to bring you, or call an expensive taxi.

For a salaried person, you can miss the work. If your poor and hourly, it’s expensive, and its hurdle upon hurdle.

Photo ID requirements are solely done to prevent the poor from voting.

In my home state of Missouri, you must use a Missouri ID, not a valid out of state. So if you just moved there, and registered per the requirements by showing proof of address, but haven’t had the time to get a Missouri drivers license, well, you can’t vote.

I’d be more supportive of these efforts if getting a photo ID was completely free for everyone without onerous requirements to prove you need it, getting all documents required to obtain said photo ID completely free (certified birth certificate), and must provide reasonable transportation (maybe the police could use their services door to door) to get to the DMV, completely free of charge. And the DMVs need to be open 7am-8PM every day of the week.

Of course, none of those things are going to happen, because it’s the intention of these laws to prevent the most poor and vulnerable in our society from voting.

By the way do you ever speak to any homeless? Because the chance of them ever getting an ID, or any documentation needed for it, are slim to none.

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u/BallsackMessiah May 03 '24

You can get your ID for free in the US. The idea of this being some sort of tool of oppression is misinformation.

https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/replace-card

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u/Diarygirl May 03 '24

The idea that elections can be stolen is so ridiculous.

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u/BallsackMessiah May 03 '24

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-panel-finds-russia-interfered-in-the-2016-us-election

Keep that same energy when it comes to this then.

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u/Diarygirl May 03 '24

Yes, the Republicans in the Senate acknowledged that Russia interfered in the election, but that does that have to do with voter ID and Republicans lying about voter fraud?

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u/BallsackMessiah May 03 '24

I was responding to your original comment:

The idea that elections can be stolen is so ridiculous.

You can't believe that Russia interfered with one of our elections and then turn around and claim that the idea that an election can be stolen (aka interfered with) is a ridiculous idea.

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u/Diarygirl May 03 '24

I'm not sure why you're confused by the difference between voter fraud and election interference. Here's a really huge hint: Hillary conceded the election immediately and she never attempted a coup.