Strict Indiana voting laws: C-
Voting laws in Indiana are so strict the U.S Supreme Court is now investigating whether they violate the First and 14th Amendments.
In order to vote in Indiana, citizens must show state- or government-issued photo identification. To be valid, the identification must contain the voter’s photo, name and a current expiration date.
That means voters who don’t drive, or those who only have an expired driver license, are out of luck.
To obtain an identification card from the state, or to obtain an Indiana driver license, a person must present a certified copy of his or her birth certificate, which can cost around $50.
If for some reason the person does not have a birth certificate, he or she is once again out of luck.
The voting laws in Indiana unfairly discriminate against the poor and the elderly.
People who are barely making enough to get by on a day-to-day basis do not have the money for a car, or the expenses that come along with it, and thus do not have a need for a driver license.
Obtaining proper identification would end up costing them more money -†money they don’t have.
The same can be said for the elderly, who are no longer capable of driving or who only have expired, invalid licenses.
For these people sifting through the bureaucratic barriers may not be worth their time and may result in a lost vote.
States need to take a closer look when passing overly restrictive voting laws. We should be encouraging as many people to vote as possible, not setting up more barriers than already exist.
If these laws are stopping people who want to perform their civic duty from voting, then they are doing a disservice and need to be overturned.
World won’t end: A+
Scientists reported Thursday that an asteroid that is at least 500 feet long has no chance of making impact with Earth, or of ending life as we know it.
The asteroid, known as 2007 TU24, is expected to pass as close as 334,000 miles to Earth on Jan. 29.
A collision of an object of this size has a likelihood of occuring every 37,000 years, the Associated Press reported.
According to the Web site www.tu24.org, the asteroid’s threat level is now a low disturbance Level 3 with "no pattern of electromagnetic disturbance."
