One of the minority groups most adversely affected by the wave of Voter ID Laws passed in Republican dominated states are Hispanics. Now we can see how these laws were crafted to target the disadvantaged and minorities, and take away their franchise.
Latino Voters Set to Play Pivotal Election Role, But Threatened By Voter ID Laws
New laws that require voters show proof of citizenship and photo identification at the polls -- as well as recent voter roll purges -- could hinder at least 10 million Hispanics in 23 states who try to cast a ballot in November. The number of Latinos eligible to vote who might be blocked from voting this year is equal to the margin of victory in a number of states, according to a new study by the Advancement Project, a civil rights group.
Unregistered Latino voters could even swing some red states blue. According to the liberal Center for American Progress, 10 battleground states have a combined 12.1 million eligible but unregistered Latino voters and possibly-eligible Latino voters — green card holders who are eligible to become citizens and vote for the first time in November. In Florida, that number is 1.4 million — five times Obama's margin of victory in 2008.
But according to the Advancement Project report, casting a vote is difficult for many Latinos.
Voter ID Laws were sold as necessary to prevent a type of voter fraud that is exceedingly rare: Voter impersonation.
Proponents of such laws say they prevent voter fraud, but instances of in-person voter fraud, which the photo ID requirement is designed to prevent, are quite rare.
"In Colorado, Florida, and Virginia, the number of eligible Latino citizens that could be affected by these barriers exceeds the margin of victory in each of those states during the 2008 presidential election. In Florida, eligible Latino voters amount to nine times the 2008 margin of victory, and unregistered Latinos constitute four times the margin of victory," reads the study.
This is nothing less that a contrived way to steal votes from Republican opponents.