The liberal group TakeAction Minnesota has charged a conservative organization with using racist imagery to promote a proposed voter-ID law.
The site, WeWantVoterID.com, was created by the conservative group Minnesota Majority. It shows an African-American man dressed in prison garb and a man dressed in a mariachi costume standing alongside fictional characters. All of the characters are lined up waiting to vote, and the online banner reads, "Voter Fraud: Watch How Easy It Is to Cheat in Minnesota's Elections," the Raw Story reports [5].
“These images are racial profiling of voters at its ugliest, designed to drive fear and racial division throughout Minnesota in order to help pass a photo ID amendment at the legislature and on the fall ballot,” Dan McGrath, Executive Director of TakeAction Minnesota. “They’re wrong and they should be removed from public view immediately.”
Minneosta State Rep. Rena Moran (D) also condemned the image at the press conference.
Republicans across the country have pushed for stricter voting regulations, such as voter ID laws, to protect against alleged voter fraud. More than 30 states have changed voter laws since 2008, including requiring voter identification cards, eliminating same-day registration on voting day, prohibiting ex-felons from ballot access, restricting early voting and requiring proof of citizenship.
Democrats and others argue that voter ID laws are unnecessary due to a lack of evidence of any organized voter fraud scheme. They say it unfairly targets low-income, elderly, disabled, and minority voters, who are less likely to have a photo ID. Those groups also tend to support Democrats over Republicans.
This is a classic case of conservatives using fear-based politics and racial stereotypes to win at the polls. Good for TakeAction Minnesota for calling them on their antics.
Read more at the Raw Story [5].
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