During a portion of an interview with BET set to air on Friday that was broadcast on Thursday’s “CBS This Morning,” Vice President Kamala Harris responded to a question on whether she’d compromise by agreeing to voter ID provisions to pass voting legislation by stating that we shouldn’t downplay the impact voter ID laws could have. Because to some, voter ID means, “you’re going to have to Xerox or photocopy your ID to send it in to prove that you are who you are.” And many people live where “there’s no Kinko’s, there’s no OfficeMax near them.”
Journalist Soledad O’Brien asked, “People are talking about potential compromises. Is agreeing to voter ID one of those compromises that you’d support?”
Harris responded, “I don’t think that we should underestimate what that could mean. Because in some people’s mind, that means, well, you’re going to have to Xerox or photocopy your ID to send it in to prove that you are who you are. Well, there are a whole lot of people, especially people who live in rural communities, who don’t — there’s no Kinko’s, there’s no OfficeMax near them. People have to understand that when we’re talking about voter ID laws, be clear about who you have in mind and what would be required of them to prove who they are. Of course, people have to prove who they are, but not in a way that makes it almost impossible for them to prove who they are.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
