Today, Congressional Democrats urged requested a hearing on how new state election laws are making it more difficult to vote.
Pete Kasperowicz at the Hill reports:
“‘These changes in state voting laws raise serious constitutional concerns under both the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and the 15th Amendment,’ Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Subcommittee on the Constitution ranking member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas).
Other laws they want assessed are those that don’t allow people to present certain forms of identification, such as a Social Security card, those that require proof of citizenship, and those that preclude same-day voter registration.
Disputes over how to properly identify legal voters have risen over the last year, as some states have sought to require these sorts of changes in order to help prevent illegal residents from voting. But Democrats in particular have opposed these changes, and many have said they would have the effect of making it harder for blacks to vote.”