Last week, we blogged about public fears of disenfranchising elderly voters in Tennessee. Yesterday, the story of a 96-year-old black woman who was denied a Tennessee voter ID took the Internet by storm, exemplifying the true struggle that these voting hurdles impose on citizens.
To comply with Tennessee’s new photo voter ID law, Dorothy Cooper–reportedly a voter since at least the 1940s–“gathered up a bunch of documents and took them all to her local photo ID office in Chattanooga,” reports Gawker. She showed a voter registration card, her lease, a rent receipt, and birth certificate. But since the birth certificate showed her maiden name, the clerk denied her application.
So, we already know that elderly voters and those without current ID (or any ID at all) are now required to obtain a photo ID in order to vote. But now, they must also go through the additional hurdle of proving any name changes if their primary ID features a different name. However, Gawker reports that not all state workers are “totally clear on what the ID requirements actually mean,” which is a red flag for voters who want to participate in upcoming elections.
Due to yesterday’s press on the story, Gawker reports that the state is trying to help Cooper get an ID so she can vote. But the state’s spokesperson perpetuated the confusion when she wouldn’t say exactly what else (see her list of documents above) Cooper would need to vote, claiming that “every situation is different.”
“State Rep. Tommie Brown, D-Chattanooga, said Tuesday that Cooper’s case is an example of how the law ‘erects barriers’ for the elderly and poor people — a disproportionate number of whom are minorities,” reports the Times Free Press.
“What you do, you suppress the vote,” Brown said. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.”