Voter ID rules burden many older voters

AARP briefs and other sources have described a wide range of challenges that the new voter ID laws may pose for older people. For example:

• Records of those not born in hospitals, if they exist, frequently have mistakes. Or birth documents may have been destroyed when old courthouses burned down or were replaced.

• Seniors with mobility impairments may be isolated, such as in nursing homes, Indian reservations or rural towns. Many may not be able to afford transportation to state offices to apply for a photo ID.

• Disability exceptions in some voter-ID statutes, such as Texas’s Senate Bill 14, may only exempt people with disabilities, who are verified as disabled, such as those receiving Social Security or Veterans’ Affairs disability benefits.

• Certificates of both birth and marriage are required of women by some Voter-ID laws to match one’s birth and married names to voting rolls. For instance, before 1974, Indiana compelled a woman to change her maiden name legally when she got married, forcing today’s hopeful voters to document both their birth and married names.

• Costs may burden lower-income seniors, even though a state law may stipulate the ID cards be available for free. For example, a birth certificate in Indiana may cost up to $60. Add charges for transportation to government offices, postage or shipping, and expenses may prove prohibitive.

This article originally published in the June 6, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.