Supreme Court clears Arizona to require picture ID to vote

The Supreme Court, in a purely technical decision, set aside an injunction against requiring photo IDs to vote in the upcoming elections in Arizona. The decision was made on procedural grounds and did not rule on the constitutionality of the measure itself. That remains to be decided.

Nevertheless, the news triggered the usual arguments. Requiring photo IDs is needed to keep illegal aliens out of the voting booth. It's not a burden, as photo IDs can be obtained for $15. And there's no way that this requirement is racist.

In fact, requiring people to pay $15 to acquire the identification needed to vote discriminates against poor people, who are less likely to have driver's licenses and less likely to be able to afford the $15 for a special ID. Because a greater percentage of blacks and Hispanics are poor than whites, the requirement ends up having a racist effect.

And because the poor and blacks and Hispanics tend to vote Democratic, the Democrats oppose such measures and Republicans support the measures. It has little to do with illegal aliens voting. Neither the Democratic nor Republican Party really thinks illegal aliens are voting. Heck, not even Hispanic citizens are voting in large numbers. But the illegal alien angle makes a great red herring to get this racist, anti-Democratic and anti-democratic measure passed.

If the proponents of this requirement were not politically partisan, they would be working to make it free and easy for everyone to get a photo ID. Pass them out in convenience stores and gas stations and check cashing stores, where you get your drivers' license and welfare checks, have police offer them with every traffic stop, etc.