Hard as it is for many Americans to believe, it really is true. Not every adult 18 and over has a government-issued ID. That means that a lot of people — about 11 percent of citizens — don't have the identification their states require to vote.
Mention this in any conversation about the impact of a new wave of voter ID laws on voting rights and you'll get incredulous responses from those who just don't understand how it could possibly be that hard, or suggest that not having identification must signal a lack of intelligence.
You might be a Liberal if you think black people are too dumb to get an ID. #voterID
— Richard (@nowiknowmyabcs) October 28, 2014
Media Matters reports that conservative radio host Laura Ingraham said just today, "if it's too difficult for you to get a government issued ID in the states that require IDs," then, "I don't really want you voting." (Some would argue that "if you don't have it, I don't want you to vote" position is exactly the idea behind voter ID laws, but I digress ...)
Frontline's Sarah Childress has the perfect response to all of this. In a quick and straightforward (not to mention, unbelievably patient) video, she explains the actual logistical and economic barriers that stand between many Americans and the forms of identification their states require to vote. Watch it here:
