Tennessee Democrats Urge Repeal of ‘Special Interest’ Voter ID Law
NASHVILLE — State Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester issued the following statement in support of the grassroots efforts to repeal the new voter ID law in Tennessee:
“This voter ID law is designed to keep hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans from being voters, and it should be repealed without hesitation,” Forrester said. “We have never solved anything in America with less democracy, and we won’t now.
“Not only do these laws take away our right to vote, but they’ll cost taxpayers millions of dollars,” Forrester said. “When so many teachers and health care workers are facing layoffs and pay cuts, it makes no sense to waste our money on things we don’t need and that don’t create jobs.”
FACTS:
The Republican-controlled General Assembly passed the voter ID law, which affects more than 126,000 voters in the state. [Times Free Press, 9/13/11]
Since July, only 214 people have updated their IDs. [Tennessean reporter Chas Sisk, accessed 10/4/11]
The wait at driver license centers is too burdensome for the sick and elderly. The Department of Safety estimates an average hourlong wait for service at testing centers. News reporters have found citizens who’ve waited between two and three hours. [ABC24.com, 9/21/11]
More than half of Tennessee’s rural counties DO NOT have drivers license centers—making it more difficult for those in rural counties to obtain a voter ID card. [TNSenateDems.com, 7/28/11]
675,337 Tennesseans ages 18 and older either have no driver’s license or have a license that does not carry their photo. [Commercial Appeal, 9/25/11]
