The Federalist idea of a controlled electorate, by poll taxes or property qualifications, was imposed by landowners afraid their right of land ownership might be challenged, or in fear of becoming misgoverned by a populace of ignorant citizens; they might bring poorly educated people, without the obligations of responsible ownership in business or land holding obligation who would be easily mislead. These are ideas inherited from King George III, a non elected official who eventually went mad.
Colonists migrated here to exercise the right to self government. It was the very purpose for our US Colonial foundation. The right to vote by every person was a consecrated, given mandate first written into the Federalist Papers by our founding fathers who then shaped the Constitution of the United States.
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay wrote in a series of 27 essays called the Federalist Papers that no law could take effect without consent of the governed, and that included slaves.
First we register; and if we vote twice or are not who we say we are as registered, the law considers it voter fraud only after the fact. All citizens subject to allegations after the fact first could simply sign their signature on the roll to verify their receipt of a ballot. It becomes the responsibility of each election board to verify and accept challenges after the fact. Proof at the poll is not a requirement, only a signature to verify the receipt of the registered voter of their ballot, no fraud there and not before the act according to a whole series of Constitutional rights.
Other than for a short time when voters had to show their registration card, it was in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with Dr. Martin Luther King looking on that this Act of legislature followed his signed Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Voting Rights Act was in response to the loopholes of identification and qualifications as being against the presumption of innocence. A point of legislation won in 1965 by peaceful demonstration.
Today, challenging our right to vote without being precleared in the Supreme Court of the US, once again shows that certain partisan states seek to return to partisan control of voter qualification.
It doesn't seem right to once again bring the Supreme Court of the US into play against the will of the people during the election of our US President in 2012.
Can we really dismiss this as a masked partisan act to control the vote without knowing our own history?
The two problems of education and challenges to established laws face us all. The Supreme Court attention that should be simply dismissed will be heard come the 2012 election or after.
