First things first, I don’t doubt it is a bad thing, considering who supports it and who doesn’t.
But my question is what exactly is the issue and what is the current and proposed voting process when it comes to IDs?
Here in my EU country, you have to show some version of a government ID, be it an ID card, drivers license or passport. And we don’t have to pre-register to vote.
I think a lot of it comes down to classism. While it’s probably unimaginable in a developed nation, it’s entirely possible for underprivileged citizens in the United States not to have a government issued ID. The hurdles to get one are also disproportionately greater for those individuals.
It is largely seen as a form of voter suppression. And considering our history of weaponized poll and literacy testing, that’s understandable.
Aren’t you required to have a government ID?
Here (.nl) you need an ID to access so many services that it’s basically impossible to function without one.
Want to rent or buy/sell a house -> ID
Want to go do a doctor -> ID
Mobile phone contract -> ID
Open a bank account -> ID
Get a loan -> ID
Take a driving exam -> ID
Collect a package from a parcel point -> ID
Buy alcohol, tobacco or weed -> ID
Hell, I had to show ID when getting food delivery because apparently there was a tiny amount of alcohol in the desert.
How does US society even function when people don’t have a government ID?
Besides what other people have said, voting is a right. Everything you listed is not.
You are not required to possess one, no. Someone can exist in the US as a dependent and never need to purchase anything ever because someone else in the household takes care of the finances.
No health insurance, never need to go to a doctor or hospital?
What if you’re ever asked for ID by the police?
Over here, technically you aren’t required to have or carry ID. You just have to be able to show ID when asked by law enforcement. Meaning they can’t simply stop people and ask for ID and fine you when you can’t show one, so not carrying an ID in itself isn’t an offense. It’s just that when they have a valid reason to ask for you ID and you can’t show one, you get a fine for not being able to show ID.
It’s state dependent about requirement to identify yourself go police, but i dont believe its required in any state to carry an ID on one’s person.
If you have to show ID to law enforcement or be fined then you are required to carry ID. Here you have to identify yourself, but you are not obligated to carry ID on you at all times. So if someone walks to a store and pays cash they don’t need to have an ID and cannot be fined or punished for not having one.
It is required for something like driving as it involves a license and carrying it with you when driving is a requirement.
As far as voting goes, in rural areas, especially where everyone knows each other, nobody needs ID because everyone knows Billy was born in the local hospital and lives with his uncle and he was added to the voter role decades ago so when he goes to vote he signed his checken scratch signature and Glenda gave him his ballot to vote. Prior to ID requirements you just verbally said who you were and signed so you couldn’t vote twice and this wasn’t an issue ever.
The whole registration thing is so they knew who is voting where to give them the right ballot for local officials and to keep someone from voting twice and study after study showed it was not a significant problem. Requiring ID to vote only has downsides and is intended to be voter suppression in the US through cost an other obstacles.
Ideally, yes, this is how it should work. But some of our citizens do not have access to nearly all of these social resources.
Even homeless people are required to have ID here.
they are required but highly doubtful most of them carry it. the temporary homeless will likely have them, but not the permanent ones.
Are they provided for free?
We have to pay for ID in the US, and there is often a requirement for an address on paperwork so combined that makes it very difficult for the homeless to acquire an ID. For example, my state mails IDs which I’m pretty sure it intended to make it difficult for homeless people to get one.
No.
Same here. An ID card is €80 and a passport is €88. Both are valid for 10 years.
Here you simply go to the municipality where you are a registered resident and request it there. They already have your address on file since you are required to register your place of residence.
I just looked it up how this works here. If you aren’t a registered resident of any municipality there’s a couple of them that handle ID applications for people without residence. You have to prove your nationality but that can be as simple as showing a bank statement proving that you receive dutch social security (homeless people receive monthly social security payments)
Then how do they make sure it ends up with the person who requested it? Here you have to pick them up in person specifically so they can make sure that the person on the ID is the same person who is receiving it.
You are thinking logically and not ‘how do we punish homeless people and minorities for existing’. The US system doesn’t make logical sense for a functional society that doesn’t intentionally disenfranchise a large portion of the population
That’s super expensive. Last time I got an ID (for my kids) it was something like 6 eur.
Thats the Netherlands for you. Neoliberal policies for at least a decade does that. And now we have a crack resurgence and teflon man promoted to head of nato.
This is for 18+. For people under 18 it’s about half that IIRC.
Still 40 euros, and under 18 you have to change it more often.
Yes. Very nice.
oh yea getting even a passport is a convoluted process on its own.
Bro really bit condescending insinuating that “certain” groups are too dumb to get an id. Ffs u need an id to get a job and pay taces, buy alcohol, buy cigarettes, shovel snow in NY.
I think you misunderstood. I didn’t say anyone was too dumb. It’s a question of accessibility, time, and resources. Also, what do you mean by “certain” groups?
So every state that has voter id requirements offers either a free id for that purpose or waives fees on existing id if u state its for that purpose. Yes voting like everyone single other possible imaginable activity takes time.
And by “certain” groups I mean the groups you are implying cannot get id. Ur the one defining it I just made ur implication explicit.