Trump continues push for voter ID

WASHINGTON – One day after he disbanded his controversial commission investigating allegations of voter fraud, President Trump called for new voter identification laws — and again claimed many people cast ballots illegally.

“As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country,” Trump tweeted. “Push hard for Voter Identification!”

National voting rights and civil rights activists said the commission and Trump’s call for new laws is a pretext to suppress voter participation, particularly among the poor, the elderly and people of color.

“I’m thrilled that the commission has been disbanded but also will definitely keep an eye on what it is that these players will do in the next steps,” said Kathy Culliton-Gonzales, senior counsel for Demos, a public policy group. Culliton-Gonzales and other activists credited legal challenges and fierce opposition from voting rights and civil rights groups for the demise of the commission. “The fight is not over,” she said.

Some Republican-run state legislatures passed voter identification laws of the kind backed by Trump. Supporters of the laws, mostly Republicans, said they protect against voter fraud.

Thirty-six states request or require voters to show ID at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2000, 14 states had such laws. Last year, four states — Arizona, Iowa, North Dakota and Texas — enacted or amended voter ID laws.

Under the Obama administration, the Justice Department challenged several strict voter ID laws, including one in Texas. The Trump administration reversed that position last year.

Myrna Pérez, deputy director of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, said she’s concerned that in addition to voter ID laws, there are threats to other voting rights, including state purges of registration rolls.

Perez said Trump probably wants more states to push strict voter ID laws.

“What I hope would give some states some pause is that strict-photo IDs like the one in Texas, like the one in North Carolina, have been met with fierce opposition and resistance,” she said.

Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said voter ID laws, including in his home state, are meant to deter voters.

“Since Donald Trump has been in office, he has said that states should have tighter voter identification laws, which is a dog whistle to those who want to continue to deny African Americans, Latinos and Muslims the right to vote,” he said.

Trump took aim Thursday at “many mostly Democrat states” that refused to hand over data to the commission created last May, saying they “know that many people are voting illegally.”

Tighter voter identification laws are “a dog whistle to those who want to continue to deny African Americans, Latinos and Muslims the right to vote.”

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.