Subject: PLEASE READ: Republicans Don't Want You To Know...
From: "Jefferson, Deshundra" <[email-masked]>
To: "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>, "Walsh, Tom" <[email-masked]>, "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]>, "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>
Cc: Pratt Wiley <[email-masked]>, Lindsay Langholz <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 2 May 2016 08:23:03 -0700

From Arizona to North Carolina, Republicans have been following the same playbook in order to tilt elections in their favor. Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country are passing restrictive voting laws that make it harder for women, minorities, and students to vote. These groups are not only the Democrat's core constituency - they are also the majority of Americans.

Former Senator Jim DeMint, who now leads the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation, recent admitted that<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jim-demint-voter-id-benefits-conservatives> voter ID laws help elect "more conservative candidates." Voter impersonation - the type of so-called fraud that photo IDs are supposed to eliminate - is extremely rare. A comprehensive investigation of voter impersonation found only<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/> 31 credible incidents out of 1,000,000,000 ballots cast over the past decade.

That's not stopping the GOP from seeking a solution to a problem that just doesn't exist.

The New York Times took a closer look at the impact of voter IDs on critical races. The overall take-away: recent academic research suggests that voter ID laws "restrict turnout and disproportionately affect voting by minorities." Here's an excerpt from the article:

Stricter Rules for Voter IDs Reshape Races<http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/us/stricter-rules-for-voter-ids-reshape-races.html?_r=0&referer=https://www.google.com/>
The New York Times // Michael Wines and Manny Fernandez

Since their inception a decade ago, voter identification laws have been the focus of fierce political and social debate. Proponents, largely Republican, argue that the regulations are essential tools to combat election fraud, while critics contend that they are mainly intended to suppress turnout of Democratic-leaning constituencies like minorities and students.

As the general election nears - in which new or strengthened voter ID laws will be in place in Texas and 14 other states for the first time in a presidential election - recent academic research indicates that the requirements restrict turnout and disproportionately affect voting by minorities. The laws are also, as in the case of Mr. Gallego, reshaping how many campaigns are run - with candidates not only spending time to secure votes, but also time to ensure those votes can be cast.

Thirty-three states now have ID laws, at least 17 of them - including Texas - requiring not just written proof of identity, but requiring or requesting a photograph as well.

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[SigDems]<http://www.democrats.org/>Deshundra Jefferson, Southern Regional Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]> | (202) 863-8112