… A.K.A. WHY VOTER ID LAWS MATTER
By TAYLOR BROWN || Election Day is the second best day of the year (behind my birthday and Christmas —which are tied for first place).
Being a good American, I woke up early to go to my polling station at Polo Road Elementary in Richland County, S.C. I vote because I want a voice, I want the feeling of superiority from my “I Voted” sticker, and, of course, to Instagram it.
I’m blasting “Courtesy of the Red White and Blue,” as I roll up to the school, I park my car, walk in, and walk right up to the poll watcher with my ID and voter registration card in hand.
“Taylor Brown,” I say. She takes my cards and types my name into the computer then frantically checks her list of eligible voters.
“You’ve already voted absentee,” she states, before calling over someone else to help.
OK, so apparently I requested an absentee ballot back a few months ago, and I didn’t remember ever getting it in the mail. So I’m pretty frazzled at this point — who do I talk to? How do I vote? Where in God’s name is my ballot?!
So she instructed me to go to 2020 Hampton Street (downtown) to get my absentee ballot voided so that I could actually vote. So I drive down there, maybe (or maybe not) cut in line to talk to a worker there, and was asked to step into the back, to figure it all out.
A very kind lady —alone in the absentee room filled with tons of boxes, files, papers — asked me to explain the problem, so I did.
I was then told my absentee ballot would be voided, and she gave me a new ballot to fill out, so I plopped my happy American ass right down on the floor and filled it out in five or so minutes.
I turned it in, watched it be sealed, and put into the ballot box (yeah, I was surprised those still exist … didn’t Florida in 2000 kind of ruin that for the rest of us?).
I took a sticker, Instagrammed it, and got in my car to go to work.
The point of all of this: VOTER ID LAWS WORK. Granted, my situation was a little screwy, but had it not been for my ID, they would’ve been allowed to vote in person, even if I’d gotten my absentee ballot and submitted it.
So suck it, Eric Holder.
Taylor Brown is a 20-something Wofford College graduate who somehow got sucked into politics at an early age. She is easily won over with Rush’s fast food, wine, and spirited political arguments.
***
36 comments
The point of all of this: VOTER ID LAWS WORK.
Am I missing something? You applied for an absentee ballot, so they marked your name off so you couldn’t vote in person at the poll. You then got your absentee ballot voided so you could fill out a regular ballot. What does this have to do with Voter ID?
No more than the Voter ID law itself has to do with preventing voter fraud.
She hopped her college educated happy little (maybe big if she eats at Rush’s often) ass in her car and drove downtown to Hampton Street (approx. 8-9 miles) where her Wofford intellect explained her singularly exceptional circumstance to an Elections worker/official.
Meanwhile, her Mom’s 82 year old former housekeeper in Ward 4 hopped the bus back home in order to find her personal picture ID, re-hopped the bus back to the poll where she was told Aunt Janie from Texas and Virginia had already voted. She was thus ruled ineligible to vote.
Ain’t this a great country or what?!
“Taylor Brown is a 20-something Wofford College graduate”
I’ll bet there’s some woe in Wofford right now….a collective groaning over the raw dispay of non-sequitorial brilliance in this article.
…Wofford College graduate
The Haaahvahd of the South, eh?
“Am I missing something?”
No sir – you are missing nothing – but the author of this article seems to be missing something.
And if this is the supposed proof that “VOTER ID LAWS WORK” then we obviously do not need them.
Am I missing something? You applied for an absentee ballot, so they marked your name off so you couldn’t vote in person at the poll. You then got your absentee ballot voided so you could fill out a regular ballot. What does this have to do with Voter ID?
Why do you hate, HATE non sequiturs?
You couldn’t get away with this kind of voting fraud in Ohio or Florida-requesting an absentee ballot and then showing up at the polls to vote.
She would have been given a provisional ballot. What a joke.Unbelievable!
Thanks for reporting this Fits.
What a putz.
Taylor, do you and Liz get together much?
I do not know Taylor. And I’m missing the point here to be honest (no offense to her).
She appears to share the same exuberance is her writing.
well Election Day is excting, Shifty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m so Excted!
*Waggles finger*
You went back and edited “excting” to “exciting’ all GrandTango style, and stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXQS4S3vgGA
Today is officially —– “KING TUT DAY”
All that just to get an I voted sticker to post on instagram? Have her views changed that much since the absentee ballot was sent in, that she had to void it? If she was late to work, did she tell her employer this squirrely story?
Wofford graduate and doesn’t remember asking for, or receiving an absentee ballot. Oh… my…god, flips hair, looks appalled. You think these people here at the polls would like, have an app for that. I can’t be bothered to remember anything like that. Now I have to like go to Hampton street and like break in line and like plop down in the floor to like, vote. I’m definitely like voting for Obama today…. like.
I doubt anyone in favor of voter ID laws is voting Democrat.
You go, girl … Further reading: http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-History-Wonder-Woman/dp/0385354045/
You being a moron does not mean there would be voter fraud. So, suck it you dipshit.
I doesn’t mean there is voter fraud, but it would mean that it would be easy to do.
My opinion of the value of Wofford degrees gone down now.
Taylor Brown, is that some kind of Wofford clandestine message?
Well if the point of Taylor’s story is that “ID’s” prevent fraud that isn’t there to begin with…go figure. The potential for fraud is NOT “In person” voting. Now absentee voting might be another story…especially since voting absentee does NOT require you to prove your identity. I requested absentee ballots for both my parents (67) and there was no requirement to send a photocopy of their ID’s.
No ID was required, but they probably checked if it was their correct address. The absentee ballots weren’t given or mailed to you. We’re they?
Yes, they were mailed to my parent’s address.
Yes, they were mailed to my parent’s address.
I’ll be on board with voting when they come out with “I Voted” titty tassels so that women like Ms. Brown can wear them with pride.
I’ll be on board with voting when they come out with “I Voted” titty tassels …
TBG would even check a “Would you like $1 to go to ‘I Voted’ Titty Tassels?” box on his 1040.
It’s probably worth the 75% graft they’ll take before passing along the rest towards a titty tassel manufacturer that donates to the right PAC’s via no bid.
Short version:
For *whatever reason*, I tried to vote twice. Got busted.
Taylor, don’t let the grumps on here get you down. It’s just what happens on here. I think Will (accurately) compared what goes on on the comments here with “Lord Of The Flies”, some time back.
FWIW, when I went to vote this evening, being inspired by your article, I walked into the polls and said “Taylor Brown” as I handed them my voter registration card and SC DL. They just looked at me kind of funny and kept watching me until i had voted and let the building.
Insta-reaction:
Maybe the 19th Amendment wasn’t such a great idea…
Republican logic.
Please desist in attaching my good name to grammatically incorrect and subpar writing.