Henderson, Samantha

Description

This thesis lays out Voter ID laws and the effects they have on minorities. A new era of Jim Crow legislation in the 21st century as referred to by the well-respected, civil activist, Al Sharpton, as James Crow Jr., Esquire, creating laws that negatively impact voting. Fait accompli, a term used to describe the plight and pressure put upon the minority who are already at a disadvantage because the laws are established to discriminate against them. How can a silenced group change legislation when they cannot access the ballot? I will explore Supreme Court cases such as Yick Wo v. Hopkins and Dred Scott v. Sanford that present a pattern and establish a precedent to allow Voter ID laws. The Shelby v. Holder decision gave the states the power to require voter ID cards, allowing discrimination to continue legally. The preclearance law within the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prevented states with a history of discrimination from controlling the voting process. However, since the Voter ID laws were passed, that section no longer exists. I will interview a citizen who has lived through and witnessed the struggle to vote, but who persisted in exercising their right. The fight continues today as the mindsets of the elected officials and majority party affiliations continue to promote segregation and separation between the powerful and the powerless through ways such as voter ID laws. The position I will take in my thesis is that the Voter ID laws continue to be a form of...

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