Why let the riff-raff vote?

Democrats can't get action on their vote fraud issues, particularly the issue of unaccountable and hackable vote tabulation equipment. But Republicans are making headway in their efforts to push their phony or hyperbolic claim that improperly registered voters are getting access to the polls.

The goal is, of course, to require photo identification at the polls. And that's just what's happening, according to a recent AP story:

Indianapolis - Legislation that would require voters to show photo identification before casting ballots has touched off fierce debate in three states, with opponents complaining the measures represent a return to the days of poll taxes and Jim Crow.

Lawmakers in Georgia and Indiana walked off the job to protest the proposals, which they say would deprive the poor, the elderly and minorities of the right to vote. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, has already vetoed a similar measure and has vowed to do so again.

More:

Critics say the measures in Indiana, Georgia and Wisconsin do not provide good alternatives for those without photo IDs.

    Georgia's proposal, for example, would allow people without photo IDs to cast provisional ballots but require them to return within 48 hours with a picture ID.

    State Sen. Vincent Fort, an Atlanta Democrat, said that amounts to "an updated form of Jim Crow," referring to segregation-era laws that kept blacks from voting. About 100 people rallied outside the Georgia Capitol last week to protest the legislation, which passed the state Senate on Tuesday and now goes to the House.

    Wisconsin would require a government-issued photo ID from nearly all voters. Exceptions would be granted for domestic abuse victims, nursing home residents and those who have lost their driver's license.

    Indiana would exempt only those who sign affidavits swearing they are too poor to get an ID or that they have religious objections to obtaining one.

    "It's to break the spirit of the homeless, it's to break the spirit of the have-nots," complained Rep. Gregory Porter, a black Democrat from Indianapolis.

    Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, a Republican, noted that people already need photo ID for basic bank transactions. "Is everyone a racist? Are bank tellers racist?" he said. "I simply don't believe it is going to have the effect that they claim it does.

Bank tellers may or may not be racist, but the identification reqirements at most banks these days definitely discriminate against the poor and the working class. Poor people know the drill: You work hard, you get a check -- but it is just a worthless piece of paper, because no bank will cash it without two forms of ID. And the second form must be a credit card. The banks claim they do this as a safety precaustion, but the real reason is to keep poor people (who generate few or no profits) from using bank services.

Just as the poor are banned from today's banks, so too they will soon be banned from the polling booth.