Does Rhode Island Have an Identity Crisis? By Susan A. Carleson
Anyone living in Rhode Island who wants to get a free voter ID can get one
Although Rhode Island residents can easily get a photo voter ID, requiring one at a polling place suppresses “minority, low-income, disabled, and elderly voters,” according to the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
So, of course, the ACLU has demanded an end to the state’s photo voter ID law enacted by a Democratic legislature in 2011.
Anyone living in Rhode Island who wants to get a free voter ID can get one. All you have to do is provide an employee ID card; an ID card provided by a commercial establishment; a credit or debit card; a military ID card; a student ID card; a health club ID card; an insurance plan ID card; or a public housing ID card.
Don’t have one of those forms of identification? No problem!
You can use one of the following: a utility bill; a bank statement, a government paycheck; or any of the following documents issued by a government agency: a lease or rental agreement; an insurance or drug discount card; a tuition statement or bill; a discharge or pardon certificate in connection with the resolution of a criminal case, an indictment, or sentence; an ID issued by a homeless shelter or other temporary or transitional facility; a drug prescription; a property tax statement; or a vehicle registration or ownership certificate.
So, if you’re a Rhode Islander and you don’t have a voter ID, you can’t blame the state government for not trying.
Susan A. Carleson is Chairman of the American Civil Rights Union.
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