Here's an upbeat story that needs to be duplicated nationwide -- well, at least it needs to be duplicated in the states where Republicans are enacting voter suppression laws.
Let this article speak for itself:
NASHVILLE — A Chattanooga lawmaker says she is helping organize a community effort to help elderly, poor and minorities meet requirements of a new Tennessee law mandating voters have government-issued photo identification before casting ballots in 2012 elections.
State Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, said she, other elected officials, churches, elected officials, fraternal, community, civic and professional organizations have formed the Tennessee Voters Assistance Coalition.
It is aimed at helping people get proper photo ID by giving them assistance in obtaining documents like birth certificates and providing transportation if necessary to state-operated Driver Services Centers in Hamilton County.
More below the fold.
Here's one Democrat who can't be fooled:
Calling Tennessee’s law “part of the Republican national agenda,” Favors said it is “the most drastic law since poll taxes and written examinations were prerequisites for voting in many Southern states.”
And here's the reporter's take on the new Tennessee voter ID law:
The Republican-controlled General Assembly passed the law earlier this year. When it goes into effect Jan. 1, it will be one of the seven strictest photo-voter laws in the nation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan group.
And you won't be surprised at the Republican response:
Tennessee Republicans say the move is not about voter suppression but prevention of voter fraud.
“I can assure everyone it’s not a Republican conspiracy to keep people from voting,” said state House Republican Caucus Chairman Debra Maggart, R-Hendersonville. “We want people to vote but we want to make sure it’s a legal vote.”
. . .
“Requiring photo IDs will decrease the chances that an eligible voter can be impersonated by someone else at the polls.”
Yep, that impersonation stuff goes on all the time.
Maybe Kossacks in other states where the GOP is in full voter-suppression mode can copy this approach.