Join our campaign to stop the new photo ID law
South Carolina has passed the most restrictive voter photo ID law in the country. While the governor says you must have a photo ID to buy Sudafed or get on an airplane, neither pharmacies nor the airlines require a current, state-issued photo ID.
Our office is getting calls every day from confused voters across the state. It doesn’t help that the governor and lawmakers who pushed the law through keep repeating misinformation. We’re doing our best to educate the electorate. Please help. Take a few minutes to watch these videos.
Justice Dept says SC voter ID law raises questions
Comment on South Carolina’s new photo ID law
If you, or someone you know has a hard time getting a state issued photo ID, download a Dept. of Justice Comment Form. Fill it out online and print it out (this form can not be saved and must be printed). Sign it and follow the mailing instructions at the end of the form. (Call the Network at 803-808-3384 for help.)
Anyone can comment directly to the Department of Justice through email to: vot1973c@usdoj.gov. Put in subject line: “2011-2495: Comment”. Or comments can be mailed to:
Chief, Voting Section, Civil Rights Division
Room 7254 – NWB, Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20530
(Include the submission # 2011-2495 at the top of your letter.)
Or fax comments to the Dept. of Justice at 202-616-9514 with the same heading.
Delores Freelon will not be able to vote in the next election because she can’t meet the requirements of the new photo ID law in time.
Stories like this are coming in from all over South Carolina. Fortunately for Mr. Butler, he has a computer, a car, a son to help him gather documents, and the money to pay for court costs. But what about voters without those resources?
The SC Progressive Network is gathering first-person affidavits documenting the difficulties and expenses voters are having meeting the requirements of the new photo ID law. We will present these stories to the US Justice Department, which has 60 days to review the law and decide whether it violates provisions of the Civil Rights Act.
You can help gather affidavits and prepare voters for the new voting requirements. Download an activist toolkit here.
See SC Attorney General’s pre-clearance submission to US Justice Department here.
See Sen. Gerald Malloy’s submission to DOJ here.
See the new law requiring photo IDs here.
Questions? Call 803-808-3384 or email network@scpronet.com. For background on the bill and its implications, see our blog post.
The SC Progressive Network holds a press conference at the State House May 18, after Gov. Nikki Haley signs the photo ID bill into law. Network Director Brett Bursey and members of the SC Legislative Black Caucus take questions. More photos here.
On July 8, the SC Progressive Network held a second press conference on the photo ID law to clear up misconceptions repeated by the governor and lawmakers, and to invite the public to submit comments to the US Dept. of Justice, which is reviewing the new law to consider whether it abridges the minority vote. See photos here.