...leading up to each presidential election, the issue of voter ID tends to arise in every social class of US citizen. From a small town council to the US Supreme Court, the pros and cons of voter ID are heatedly debated. Attorney General Alan Wilson said, “The rule requiring photo identification is a logical step in a country that requires photo ID for everything from cashing checks to buying cold medicine: Shouldn’t there be a basic protection for the integrity of the voting process”(qtd. in Dean.) Most states at the moment require only a spoken name to be eligible to vote. This results in abuses which harm the election process. The US government should implement voter ID laws in order to protect voter integrity and ensure accurate...
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...Voter-ID Laws and discriminatory intent PSC 1010 American National Government The Voter-ID Laws is one of the hot issues in contemporary American Politics. Supporters of the Voter-ID Laws say they are needed to prevent voter fraud. Opponents say they discriminate against the poor, elderly and minorities. Opponents also argue that the Voter-ID Laws are against the Fourteenth Amendment and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Four principles of the Fourteenth Amendments are: 1. State and federal citizenship for all persons regardless of race both born or naturalized in the United States was reaffirmed. 2. No state would be allowed to abridge the "privileges and immunities" of citizens. 3. No person was allowed to be deprived of life, liberty,or property without "due process of law." 4. No person could be denied "equal protection of the laws." (Kelly) Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 “prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups identified in Section 4(f)(2) of the Act.” (The United States Department of Justice) 34 states have adopted some kind of voter ID law, which comes in several different variations: * Strict voter ID law requires voters to provide a valid ID. * Non-Strict voter ID law does not require a valid ID but the voters are permitted to sign an affidavit attesting to their identity. * A Photo voter ID, voters must show an accepted...
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...controversies includes the new strict voting laws among fifteen states. The Voting Rights Act passed fifty years ago by Lyndon B. Johnson assures that every law-abiding American citizen can exercise their constituitional right. Evidently, voter fraud remains a current issue, requiring new and potential laws to take place this coming election. Kenneth T. Walsh from the Miami Times said, “since the Supreme Court ruling in June 2013, some states have followed up by imposing more restriction on voting, with local politicians arguing that they want to prevent fraud and make sure that there are clear and sensible standards for determining who can vote.”...
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...battle both for African-Americans and women. We can see how voting outcomes is essential to the true democratic process by having tight voting requirement it hinders the process and effects turnout. Voting Turnout, while undergoing new legislation since the repeal of the Jim Crow Laws, are still undergoing voting suppression, still disproportionately effecting racial minorities and the poor. To truly understand how voting requirements effect voter’s turnout we would have to look at the history of voting requirements in the U.S. Throughout United States history there have been many barriers that states have imposed that restrict voting rights especially for racial minorities and the poor. One requirement that definitely made voting a little more difficult was with requiring Americans to register prior to voting this meant that not only a citizen was care enough to go out and vote on election night they also must register prior to doing so. Registration was mainly intended to stop voter fraud, so each state was allowed to create their own registration laws this led to some states having more strict registration laws than others. The south took advantage of having the ability to create state registrations laws and used it deny African American the right to vote, Literacy test were initially created In order for new immigrants to demonstrate they have a basic knowledge of state or...
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...Minority Voting is an important topic to research and talk about. Not many people know how hard it is for Minorities to even get into a voting booth. Minorities got the privilege to vote in 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Voting Rights Act is considered one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. History. Before that law was passed, in 1960 if you wanted to vote African Americans had to take an impossible literacy test. One of the main issues for minority voting is the Voter ID Requirements. Some states passed a law that required all voters to prove their identity with a voter ID. Researchers used a dataset to compare the turnouts of elections where strict...
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...Dior Hunter Bailey-Hofmann English 103 17 January 2015 Should Voting Be Mandatory? In the United States, voter turnout during elections has decreased over the last fifteen years. In 2012 the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) compared voter turnout rates, for the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, The BPC states “Despite an increase of over eight million citizens in the eligible population, turnout declined from 131 million voters in 2008 to an estimated 126 million voters in 2012 when all ballots are tallied. Some 93 million eligible citizens did not vote.” Many Americans feel like their vote doesn’t count anyway, mainly citizens who are already disadvantaged. Australian professor of Politics Lisa Hill states in her article What We’ve Seen in Australia With Mandatory Voting that, “Places with mandatory voting also have less wealth inequality, lower levels of political corruption and higher levels of satisfaction with the way democracy is working than voluntary systems.” Critics say that implementing mandatory voting is against the constitution, and what we value the most, freedom. Furthermore, Hill states “ Is being required to vote a violation of autonomy? Sure, but so is mandatory taxation, jury duty and the requirement to educate our children. Yet, these are all good ideas.” Voting should be mandatory because as American citizens we live in a democratic society where everyone should have an opinion. Although, Americans value independence and the free-will to do...
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...Matt Hamilton American Government PS1350 August 10, 2015 Mr. R. S. MCCULOUGH “American Voters” In the United States the voter turnout during elections has decreased over the last fifteen years. In 2012 the Bipartisan Policy Center compared voter turnout rates for the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, The BPC said “Despite an increase of over 8 million citizens in the eligible population, turnout declined from 131 million voters in 2008 to an estimated 126 million voters in 2012 when all ballots are tallied. Some 93 million eligible citizens did not vote.” Many Americans feel like their vote doesn’t count anyway, mainly citizens who are already disadvantaged. Australian professor of Politics Lisa Hill states in her article What We’ve Seen in Australia With Mandatory Voting that, “Places with mandatory voting also have less wealth inequality, lower levels of political corruption and higher levels of satisfaction with the way democracy is working than voluntary systems.” Critics say that implementing mandatory voting is against the constitution, and what we value the most, freedom. Furthermore, Hill states “ Is being required to vote a violation of autonomy? Sure, but so is mandatory taxation, jury duty and the requirement to educate our children. Yet these are all good ideas. Voting should be mandatory because as American citizens we live in a democratic society where everyone should have an opinion. Although, Americans value independence and the free-will to do whatever...
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...“The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had thrust the national ID issue into context of national security for the first time in decades” (Katel 398). Tragedies like these make US Security much stricter than it was before. ID’s are a big part in making sure that people are who they say they are. There have been people specifically teenager that use and make fake ID’s to buy beer, cigarettes, etc. Making fake ID’s is a risky business and could result in a prison sentence if caught. Many want to feel safe in the place they live at and if people are constantly faking their identities that will only lead to more problems. Every state should agree with voter ID laws, as they will only benefit us. Bigger states should also look into how effective...
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...Since its foundation with the constitution, the United States has had a troubled history with voter rights. While the passage of many bills has aimed to limit these injustices, the recent election showcases the inequalities still present within our society. With the current political alignment of the national government, I am concerned that minorities, who tend to vote democratic, will be unfairly targeted in new voter laws as the Republicans try to continue to hold office. New voter ID laws, polling times, and investigations on voter fraud are all potential issues being discussed by the federal government. If stricter laws go into effect, our nation will erase much of the progress it has made towards equality and will decrease the amount of...
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...loss of employment and violence. These conditions led to a dramatic decrease in black voters who were deemed eligible, let alone those who were able to actually exercise their right to vote....
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...Americans and outside observers to believe that the system is broken, or worse rigged to keep power in the hands of those who hold it. While this is an easy conclusion to draw, it shows a lack of understanding of the complexities of the American voting system. In the United State, voting laws not being specifically given to the federal government, are therefore defaulted to the state. Essentially meaning that while most voting regulation laws from state to state are similar, with the exception of a few outliers, there are still 50 different specific sets of laws on voting, for Federal, state, and local elections. This can cause a number of problems, most notably the possibility for states to discriminate against whomever they determine to be ineligible, or possibly unworthy of voting; the most common example are felons. Each state...
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...Gun Control: American Gun Laws Need Reform Roderick D. Harris Capella University Gun Control: American Gun Laws Need Reform At the national level, the issue of gun control has been in the spotlight for the last 50 years. The conversation seems to pick up or lose steam depending upon current events. In more recent years, the barrage of mass murders carried out with the use of assault-style weapons have fueled the fire and reopened the public debate. In 2012, President Obama and his administration made a strong push toward reform of current laws on gun control but were met with hard opposition and their efforts failed. Many states have developed their own gun controls in the absence of federal statues, but these new reforms do not go far enough in most cases and the variances between state laws add to the confusion around developing comprehensive reform at the federal level. Strict gun control should at the least consist of full background checks, a ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines for ammunition. Congressional leaders should take the first step toward reform with a bi-partisan approach to a sweeping legislation. Strict gun control with a ban on assault-style weapons will reduce violence and shootings of mass murder in the United States (U.S.). The fewer the assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in our society will provide a greater opportunity for survival and reduced by-stander casualties during random acts of violence and mass shootings...
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...transportation, this process has become much easier. Due to these advances in the technology of transportation, global migration has significantly increased. Ultimately this led to changes in how we live, and the cultures instilled in our region. Since the 60s, a lot has changed regarding the laws of global immigration; America went from a country with few restrictions and deportation laws to one with a very selective and intensive process. Profiling and suspicion of communism were the few main reasons for deportation in the early 60s. From 1965 to 2005 with the establishments of laws such as “Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965” all the way to “REAL ID Act” in 2005 the process of immigration has vastly changed from a legal standpoint. During this time period laws were put in place to restrict certain immigrants from entering the US, and giving those who did, strict punishments. Hiring these migrants was made illegal and if identified they were deported almost immediately. Amnesty was given to a certain group of immigrants in 1986 (Immigration Reform and Control Act) to deal with the overwhelming increase of illegal immigrants. Many people migrated to the US seeking asylum, which led to the “REAL ID Act” which...
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...No. 15-1972 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES Spring Term, 2015 ________________________________ GEORGE E. SCHAEFER, III, in his official capacity as the Clerk of Court for Norfolk Circuit Court and JANET M. RAINEY, in her official capacity as State Registrar of Vital Records, Petitioners, MICHÈLE MCQUIGG, Intervenor/Petitioner, v. TIMOTHY B. BOSTIC; TONY C. LONDON; CAROL SCHALL; and MARY TOWNLEY, Respondents. ________________________________ ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT ________________________________ BRIEF FOR THE RESPONDENTS ________________________________ Law Student Counsel for the Respondents QUESTION PRESENTED Whether Virginia’s Marriage Laws, which prohibit same-sex couples from marrying or entering a civil partnership in Virginia or in any other jurisdiction, violate the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment when: * Virginia’s constitution limits marriage to one man and one woman; * Virginia’s code prohibits same-sex marriages or civil unions; and * Virginia’s code refuses to recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions lawfully consummated in other jurisdictions. TABLE OF CONTENTS page QUESTION PRESENTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
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...In the United States, affirmative action refers to equal opportunity employment measures that Federal contractors and subcontractors are legally required to adopt. These measures are intended to prevent discrimination against employees or applicants for employment, on the basis of "color, religion, sex, or national origin".[1][2] Examples of affirmative action offered by the United States Department of Labor include outreach campaigns, targeted recruitment, employee and management development, and employee support programs.[2] The impetus towards affirmative action is to redress the disadvantages[3][4][5][6][7] associated with overt historical discrimination.[8] Further impetus is a desire to ensure public institutions, such as universities, hospitals and police forces, are more representative of the populations they serve.[9] Affirmative action is a subject of controversy. Some policies adopted as affirmative action, such as racial quotas or gender quotas for collegiate admission, have been criticized as a form of reverse discrimination, and such implementation of affirmative action has been ruled unconstitutional by the majority opinion of Gratz v. Bollinger. Affirmative action as a practice was upheld by the court's decision in Grutter v. Bollinger.[10] Affirmative action in the United States began as a tool to address the persisting inequalities for African Americans in the 1960s. This specific term was first used to describe US government policy in 1961. Directed to all...
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