SmokeMonkey wrote:Keep in mind that here in Alabama they tried a couple of years ago to shut down license offices in several majority black counties, meaning in some cases people would need to travel across two counties to get a new state-issued ID. While there were a few ways with limited availability to get a voter-only ID, it did seem to put an undue burden on citizens. Whether we like
It or not, these things happen.
The funny thing is, as red as this state is, I don't think it would impact election results, at least at the state and national level.
Damn Smoke, if I didn't know better I would think you are speaking poorly of you adopted state. What you said above is true but you left out a few key facts. Initially this had nothing to do about voter ID as you would have others to believe.
The closure of the driver's license offices were a result of a battle between the former Gov Bentley and the State Legislator over his proposal to raise taxes to deal with a budget shortfall.
"Citing budget concerns, the state shuttered 31 part-time offices where examiners gave driving tests about once per week. The state said the closures were aimed at the offices that issued the fewest licenses each year, but the closures also came down hard on rural and heavily minority communities. It left more than a third of Alabama's 67 counties without a license office, including eight of the state's 11 counties with a majority African-American population."
"The rural offices, before they were closed, issued anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred licenses each year. The 31 locations in 2014 collectively issued 5,000 learners permits and 3,149 driver's licenses, and gave 10,587 permit exams, according to numbers from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency."
Not really something to whip the left into a frenzy over.