700-Thousand Young People deprived of Voting?

From the President's Desk: 

 

As many as 700,000 young people of color could be deprived of their voting rights this year because of regressive new laws aimed at suppressing turnout, according to a study released this week by the University of Chicago.

At least 17 states have some kind of voter ID law already in place or about to go into effect.

This is not about having ID, simply to prove you are who you say you are. This is about having a specific type of ID. You can't show up with your Sam's Club card and vote.

The states that require or will require a photo ID are:

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

An earlier analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's law school found that 11 percent of Americans lack the specific type of ID required by the new laws. While 9 percent of whites lack ID, 25 percent of blacks and 16 percent of Hispanics do not have them and may be denied the opportunity to vote.

We at the National Urban League are fighting back. Through our Occupy The Vote initiative, we're reaching out to citizens of all ages encouraging them to register, to make sure they have the proper ID, and - most importantly - to vote.

We're also encouraging state legislators and governors across the nation to reject these regressive and discrimatory laws. Find out more, and join the fight, by calling 1-866-MY-VOTE-1 or visiting www.occupythevote12.org.