Monday, through a press statement, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill responded to a claim from Vice President Kamala Harris that voter identification laws make exercising the right to vote difficult.
Harris claimed that since some people in rural areas did not have access to a photocopier, submitting a copy of identification was too much of a challenge.
“Because in some peoples’ minds, that means, well, you’re going to have to Xerox or photocopy your ID to send it in to prove you are who you are,” Harris said in an interview with BET. “Well, there are a whole lot of people —especially people who live in rural communities — that there’s no Kinkos, there’s no Office Max, near them.”
“Of course, people have to prove who they are,” she added. “But not in a way that makes it almost impossible for them to prove who they are.”
Merrill, in a lengthy statement, denounced Harris’ assertion.
Statement as follows:
“The Alabama Secretary of State’s Office has worked, and will continue to work, to ensure that every eligible U.S. citizen who is a resident of the State of Alabama is registered to vote and has a government-issued photo ID. In doing so, we will continue to shatter records for voter registration and voter participation.
“The photo ID requirement, that we have fought so hard to defend (twice successfully before the United States Supreme Court), has served as a major deterrent of voter fraud. Fraudulent voting should not be a partisan issue, but instead, many critics of election security still refuse to accept how effective the photo ID requirement truly is.
“Photo IDs are required to purchase tobacco and alcohol products, operate a motor vehicle, check into the airport, open a bank account, and even to enter the U.S. Capitol and White House. Ensuring each voter is who they say they are one of the ways our office prevents voter fraud and increases voter confidence.
“We will continue to visit every single county annually to register voters and issue free photo IDs. In the case a voter is unable to visit one of our many mobile units or their local Board of Registrar’s office where they can obtain a free photo ID on any day that the county courthouse is open, our office will personally visit the home of the voter to see that the individual has the proper ID needed to vote, at absolutely no charge whatsoever to the voter.
“The voter ID requirement is of the utmost importance to our office, and we will continue to upkeep the effectiveness of this practice.
“The Vice President may be entitled to her own opinion but not her own facts. The voter ID laws put in place do not make it ‘almost impossible’ to vote, but instead ensure that every election is safe and secure. Record breaking results in election participation since the implementation of photo ID laws in Alabama further discredits her claims.
“In Alabama, we will continue to encourage anyone who is interested to participate in the electoral process in a way that is most convenient to them so they can cast their ballot for the candidate of their choice, as we continue to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat!”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
