Laverne Cox
Actress, producer and transgender advocate; co-creator and star, 'TRANSform Me'

Voter Suppression and the Transgender Community
Posted: 08/09/2012 11:23 am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laverne-cox/voter-suppression-and-the-transgender-community_b_1737220.html

One of the first things I did when I turned 18 was register to vote. Growing up in Mobile, Ala., I was raised by a single black mom who grew up in the segregated South. I was made very aware of the fact that my ancestors literally died so that I could have the right to vote. Voting is one of my most fundamental duties as a citizen. Whenever I vote, I think about all those who have come before me, who fought and died so that I might stand in that voting booth and cast my ballot.

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Voter suppression could very well be the determining factor in the election this November. Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, a Republican, indicated as much when he stated, "Voter ID, which is going to allow Gov. Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done!"

A population that could be uniquely affected by the new voter ID laws that is not being talked about enough is the transgender community. According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, as many as 25,000 transgender people could lose their right to vote. Vincent Paolo Villano, from the National Center for Transgender Equality, tells me that their "biggest concern is that trans people, many of whom have never experienced problems voting before, won't take this issue seriously. The reality is that we won't know the true impact of these laws until election day, just the moment when it's too late." That's why they are launching a nonpartisan public education campaign around the new voter suppression laws, called "Voting While Trans." Starting Aug. 13, NCTE will have resources available that will tell trans folks what identification they need to vote in their state.

Voter suppression could very well be the determining factor in the election this November. Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, a Republican, indicated as much when he stated, "Voter ID, which is going to allow Gov. Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done!"

Actually, I disagree with the analysis of the comment. ID laws are intended to suppress illegally cast votes.

Every illegal vote cast dilutes the impact of a legal vote, regardless of political affiliation.

Its better to be safe than sorry ... get the right ID even if its not gender correct .. then vote and help another to vote

Quote from: Jamie D on August 10, 2012, 02:34:44 PM

Actually, I disagree with the analysis of the comment. ID laws are intended to suppress illegally cast votes.

Every illegal vote cast dilutes the impact of a legal vote, regardless of political affiliation.

Is there a ratio of illegal votes prevented to legal votes prevented that could make laws like these unacceptable?

For example, if it prevented one illegal vote every ten years but prevented thousands of legal votes each election from people who had trouble getting valid ID's on time, could it still be said of that law that it mainly had the effect of suppressing illegal votes?

Or is there some ratios that would be so out of whack as to make it clear that the main effect of the law will mostly be to suppress legal votes?

And if the law suppresses legal votes, is it possible that there is some selection bias among the people who have trouble getting gov't ids? Maybe that they're more likely to be poor (and therefore not have a car or driver's license)?

Might that not have the affect of disproportionately suppressing votes of one affiliation over another?