Oh, SNAP! Voter IDs may stump pollworkers in November
That four-letter S-word is nicer than the other one, but after you read this post, you may want to say the other one.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards are acceptable ID for the General Election this November. A video on the Ky Board of Elections YouTube channel presents this information.
How did this change come about? An electronic benefits card has no photo or address because more than one person can use a single card. Adding more Voter IDs that are not provable leads to the use of provisional ballots. These require follow up to verify and opportunity for confusion, adding time and expense to the election process.
How did the good Republican intentions to shore up election procedures in 2020 following the Bevin loss, and in 2021 following the Trump loss, result in less secure elections?
2020: The rise and fall of Ky’s mandatory photo ID for voting bill
In 2020 Ky’s Republican legislators passed Senate Bill 2 that required photo identification for anyone voting in a Kentucky election. An eligible voter without a photo ID could obtain one at specific locations.
All of the Democrats fought the bill, resulting in amendments that made it very complex.
Gov. Beshear vetoed it, but the Republicans overrode the veto, so the following groups stepped up to challenge it in court:
ACLU Voting Rights Project, ACLU Foundation, Washington, DC, and NY, NY
ACLU of Ky
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC
League of Women Voters of Kentucky
Louisville Branch of the NAACP
Louisville Urban League
Those Plaintiffs sued the following Defendants:
Michael Adams, Ky Secretary of State (SOS)
Andrew Beshear, Governor
Ben Chandler, Chairman of the Kentucky Board of Elections
All the members of the Ky Board of Elections
Beshear was quoted as saying he did not understand why he was named in the suit.
It fell to the attorney of the Ky Board of Elections to go to court and deal with the Plaintiffs.
The Plaintiffs’ attorneys from San Francisco, Washington DC, New York City and Louisville, insisted that it would be dangerous and unfair to expect Ky voters to risk their lives by visiting an ID-issuing office where they might contract COVID-19.
Ultimately, the Board of Elections with its Ky attorneys concurred, and our SOS and Governor reached an agreement that any eligible voter could vote early in numerous locations, or on Election Day, or vote by absentee ballot in order to avoid COVID-19 exposure (29% did so).
The court document dismissing the case stated that each party would pay for their own fees and costs. Taxpayers paid for the Defendants’ expenses; leftist donors paid the court and lawyers for the ACLU et al.
2021: Changes that were not vetoed by Beshear
Following the Trump loss in 2020, Ky’s voting laws were revised in numerous ways. Election officers must now confirm the identity of each voter by proof of identification (as defined in KRS 117.001), and note the method of proof of identification.
Prior to 2021 there were five acceptable types of ID:
PA - Personal Acquaintance (The poll worker knew the person personally)
DL - Driver’s License
OI - Any identification card with picture and signature of voter, any United States government-issued identification card, Any Kentucky state government-issued identification card with picture
SS - Social Security card, or
CC - Credit Card
To these, two new types were added:
Any identification card issued by a county in this state which has the name of the voter stated and has been approved in writing by the State Board of Elections
Any food stamp identification card, electronic benefit transfer card, or supplemental nutrition assistance card (SNAP), that is issued by Kentucky and has the name of the voter stated.
These changes were issued by Republican legislators.
There were no primary or general elections in 2021, only some special elections, so the new IDs began to be tried much more extensively in the 2022 primaries. Some of these results have been challenged in court.
An interesting aspect of the SNAP card is that you need not speak English to apply for it. Any language will be fine, with some offering pre-translation:
So, in 2020 our Republican legislators were corralled by Covid-19 Emergency Regulations and forced to obey the Board of Elections agreement. And in 2021 it is likely they were called on the carpet by representatives of the Voting Rights and Help America Vote Acts, federal laws that require provisional ballots for all if needed, even those who appear to be ineligible, among other stipulations.
An aside:
Who originated “Make America Great Again”? What else did they say?
Most believe that Trump coined MAGA but he only quoted it from the 2016 Republican Platform Statement and shortened it a bit. The saying is on page 4 of the 66-page document:
This platform is optimistic because the American people are optimistic. This platform lays out — in clear language — the path to making America great and united again.
The Platform notes on page 17: (Points are in a list for easier reading - Ed)
Administrative Law Article I of the Constitution directs that “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States….”
For more than a century, however, Congress has delegated increasing amounts of legislative authority to executive departments, agencies, and commissions, laying the foundation for today’s vast administrative state.
Unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch now write countless rules with the force of law and arbitrarily punish individuals who disobey those rules.
The Constitution makes clear that these powers were granted to Congress by the people and must therefore remain solely with the people’s elected representatives…
Conservatives have a great platform*! Be sure to vote for those who fully support it. Not all Republican candidates do.