Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America

by Stacey Abrams

The second prong of voter suppression is limiting access to the ballot. Federal law must prohibit restrictive voter ID laws, which serve no one except those seeking to curtail voter participation. Unnecessary restrictions do nothing to protect voters and instead create irreparable harm to the victims of these laws, namely people of color, low-income Americans, young people, and the elderly. The requirement of identification does not necessitate screening out otherwise eligible voters. Instead, states must be barred from requiring voter IDs that go beyond proof of identity to screening out likely voters: that means prohibiting impossible address requirements, demanding expensive or inaccessible records, or disallowing customary identification like college IDs or federally issued badges. Federal standards must be set for what states can require of voter identification, prohibiting suppressive requirements that exceed the most basic standards. In addition to undoing the harm of strict voter ID, Congress should adopt restoration of the Voting Rights Act, as proffered in H.R. 4. This bill limits the closure of polling locations without preclearance by the Department of Justice, restoring a vital protection for targets of voter suppression. By requiring permission before voters are disenfranchised, communities of color, low-income communities, the elderly, the young, and the disabled will have a new tool to use to increase and guarantee their participation. Access to the ballot ...