Old-Hat Wars On Women, Voting, Given Snazzy Update With New GOP War On Math

There is much to say about the current state of the GOP, but let no one say that they are not adept at multitasking. Waging a war on women AND on voting is probably not easy, but here they are, imposing all kinds of restrictions on abortion as well as new laws in ten states that require voters to show certain kinds of ID. So if you are an old lady and yourcertificate of live birthbirth certificate has your maiden name and you are too old to drive so you don’t have a driver license, you can give up on voting unless, of course, you can get someone to schlep you out to the ID office on one of the FOUR DAYS it is open this year. (Also, the ID office may be 100 miles away, but apparently that’s OK because rural poor people are “used to driving long distances.”) Oh and also! The wars on women and voting are going so well that it looks like there might be a war on math looming on the horizon, because according to the Heritage Foundation, three equals two and $25 equals $0.

[A] Brennan Center report found nearly half a million eligible voters in the 10 states do not have access to a vehicle and live more than 10 miles from their nearest state ID-issuing office.

In some areas, the offices that issue IDs maintain limited business hours. Rural areas in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas are served by part-time ID offices. And in an extreme example, the researchers found the office in Sauk City, Wis., is open only on thefifth Wednesdayof any month. That would limit the office to being openjust four days this year.

…Birth certificates can cost between $8 and $25. Marriage licenses, required in some states for married women whose birth certificates include a maiden name, can cost between $8 and $20. “By comparison, the notorious poll tax — outlawed during the civil rights era — cost $10.64 in current dollars,” the report states.

In the Texas case, a judge on the panel suggested the law would force some people to travel more than 100 miles to get the documents required for a photo identification.

John Hughes, the state’s attorney in the case, said Texans in rural areas are used to driving long distances. “People who want to vote already have an ID or can easily get it,” he said.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said … the “indirect costs” associated with obtaining a voter ID, including transportation, are no different “than having to get a ride to go and register to vote.”

As it turns out, getting a ride to two different places (the place where you register to vote and the place where you vote) is EXACTLY THE SAME as getting a ride to THREE different places (the place where you drive up to 100 miles on one of the four days it’s open this year, the place where you register to vote, and the place where you vote). Also too, not paying any money to get ID to vote is the same as paying $8-$25 to get voter ID documentation you’d otherwise have no need for. Therefore, 2 = 3 and $8-$25 = $0. No wonder math is hard!

 [Washington Post]