A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
The impetus behind a bill passed in the West Virginia House of Delegates last week is clear: the Republican supermajority controlling the Legislature wants to make it harder to vote.
West Virginia already has a voter ID law, but this new bill, passed 84-8, would require a photo ID to vote. Under current law, residents may bring proof of address, like a utility bill or a registration card from the county clerk’s office, as proof of identity. Backers of House Bill 3016 argue that’s not enough, even though hardly any cases of voter fraud in West Virginia exist.
The new bill would require anyone without photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, to obtain a voter registration card with a photo from the county clerk’s office. The service would be provided free of charge. Residents who are 65 and older, of which West Virginia has more per capita than just about any other state, could use an expired driver’s license or other photo ID, as long as it was valid on their 65th birthday.
Proponents of the bill also said voters could still obtain absentee ballots to forego the voter ID process, but legislation has also passed the House that would make absentee ballots harder to obtain.
None of these measures is about election integrity. Their purpose is to make it harder for voters to vote and drive up apathy in the process. Such bills deliberately target the elderly and lower-income residents, who are less likely to have a valid — or even expired — driver’s license.
As a story in West Virginia Watch pointed out, West Virginia already has terrible voter turnout. U.S. Census statistics from 2020 showed the Mountain State had the second-worst voter participation rate in the country, at 55%, and turnout in an important May primary last year was a disgraceful 30%.
Low voter turnout and a disenfranchised electorate help those in power stay there. It’s not surprising that GOP lawmakers in West Virginia would want to restrict ballot access even further, as the party has consistently punished its own constituents with unpopular policies that are either cruel and divisive for the sake of it or line the pockets of lobbyists and special interest groups.
It’s hard to vote someone out when opponents don’t bother running and voters don’t bother showing up or can’t because of the myriad obstacles put in their path.
