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posted by chromas on Monday January 21 2019, @06:02PM   Printer-friendly
from the identification-politics dept.

Civil rights group marks MLK Day with call for 'Trump card' national ID

A prominent civil rights group is marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day by pressing President Trump to honor his promise to create a national photo ID card for citizens.

Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of the iconic civil rights leader and a co-chairmen of the Drum Major Institute, met with Trump two years ago on MLK Day. During that meeting, the then president-elect endorsed the idea of a national photo ID. This year, the group is calling on Trump to follow through.

William Wachtel, co-founder of the Drum Major Institute, said the group sees the issue as critical to ensuring King's work to remove barriers to voting.

[...] The idea has invited controversy in the past, in particular over privacy concerns. In 2013, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced a measure, the Protect Our Privacy Act, attached to a Senate immigration bill. The Paul amendment sought to prevent the creation of a national ID card, citing worries that it would make it easier for the government to track people. Wachtel sought to ease concerns about such an ID, saying it would not be mandatory and would only be an option for those who sought it.


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  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday January 22 2019, @09:51PM (2 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Tuesday January 22 2019, @09:51PM (#790316) Homepage Journal

    What aspect of that is unique to black people? Or are you saying they have a disability that keeps them from doing what white folks in their situation manage just fine?

    --
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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by edIII on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:45PM (1 child)

    by edIII (791) on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:45PM (#790339)

    I DON'T think it's unique to black people, but pervasive among the rural poor.

    That, and I don't recall being able to register to vote at the DMV. You have to get your ID first, then go to an entirely different building to register to vote. I believe some states automatically register you to vote when you get a driver's license, but that should be every state then.

    You underestimate the amount of work required, and it is indeed a burden on the poor. Especially the rural poor that have to find significant time off and need to cover transportation costs. It's not like there is a mini-DMV for every single small town in rural America.

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 24 2019, @12:35AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 24 2019, @12:35AM (#790942)

      Insightful? I don't think so.

      In my state of Ohio which the idiot media seems to think is a voter suppression pit of Hell, you can register ONLINE or any of the following:

      Board of Elections offices.

      Ohio BMV deputy registrar office.

      Ohio public library.

      Any public high school or vocational school.

      County treasurer office and other state offices

      FFS, if you can't figure out how to register, you'll never figure out how to operate a voting machine. You lefty partisans seem to think everyone but you is incapable of even the most simple of tasks.