Georgia Judge Keeps Elections Open
Georgia’s second attempt to restrict voting to persons carrying an ID card has been ruled unconstititional by a Georgia district court judge. He called it an “undue burden” and added
“where the right of suffrage is fixed in the Constitution it cannot be restricted by the legislature, but only by the people through an amendment to the Constitution.”
The Iowa constitution seems to likewise prevent imposing an ID test on voters. It says:
Every citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one years, who shall have been a resident of this state for such period of time as shall be provided by law and of the county in which he claims his vote for such period of time as shall be provided by law, shall be entitled to vote at all elections which are now or hereafter may be authorized by law.
It goes on to state that the legislature may adjust the residency requirements, but says nothing about allowing other requirements. And, of course, the federal 18 year old vote amendment has overridden the Iowa age of 21.
It is amazingly similar to the Georgia Constitution, which states:
Every person who is a citizen of the United States and a resident of Georgia as defined by law, who is at least 18 years of age and not disenfranchised by this article, and who meets minimum residency requirements as provided by law shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people.
If this ruling holds up on appeal, maybe it will melt the determination of Des Moines state representative Libby Jacobs who wants to follow Georgia’s legislature in imposing an ID card requirement. When Iowan’s for Voting Integrity discussed paper trails with her in March, Jacobs mostly talked about the need for ID rules. She was holding paper trails hostage to get an ID law passed. The ransom value of the paper trail bill has only increased since March, but it looks insufficient to buy a new ID law.
Which isn’t needed anyway. No one goes to the polls impersonating another. No fearful guest workers or illegal immigrants would risk posing as a citizen to vote for Tweedledum or Tweedledee.