Voter Photo ID Way To Keep People From Voting

Dear Editor,
    Thinking people know better than to believe voter photo identification is needed to prevent voter fraud and with good reason ["Point Austin," News, Sept. 7]. It’s not true.
    There is a strong commitment, particularly by “red” states, to push for voter photo identification. As minority populations (e.g., Hispanic, black, etc.) are significantly increasing in the South they are becoming the new majority and will change the political structure and status for many years to come. However, more than half of this population does not vote. The political climate will change slowly, and the GOP is fearful of losing its tight hold.
    Consequently, those currently in charge are going to do whatever possible to keep the increasing minority populations (potential Democrats) from voting. Texas is one of the Southern states that is trying to keep the political status quo. So, what better way to keep Hispanics, blacks, and other populations from voting than to create and push the platform to curb voter fraud by forcing voters to present voter photo identification cards.
    The GOP has the most to lose since the minority-majority are not Republican nor potential Republican voters. For now, “voter fraud” is the battle cry of the GOP in order to maintain its control.
    However, if voter fraud was truly a significant platform, the GOP would do well to monitor more closely the integrity of the voting machines and also the process of counting mail-in votes.
    So, the reality is that the GOP will continue to push for voter photo IDs in the hope of maintaining its power and control in an ever increasing minority population, especially in Southern cities. While the ploy may work well in the short term, it is only a matter of time before the political status quo will change. Voter photo ID cards are merely a postponement of inevitable political changes.