The decision in Crawford vs. Marion County Board upholds Indiana's requirement that voters in the state of Indiana present a state-issued photo ID if they wish to cast a ballot. The court upheld a statute that it admits:

* Does not prevent the fraud it was intended to prevent.

* Is designed to prevent a type of fraud that does not exist.

* Does not prevent the fraud that is a documented problem in the state.

* Places an extra burden on the poor, minority, elderly and college voters in Indiana.

Indiana did not present any evidence that in-person voter fraud exists. There is no evidence of this type of fraud in Indiana history. Furthermore, this requirement does nothing to address the documented fraud issue Indiana has with absentee ballots, nor does it address the serious concerns of vote buying, ballot-stuffing, ballot miscounting, voter intimidation and other documented types of fraud.

The voter fraud that the law was designed to prevent is non-citizens registering the vote and then tampering with our electoral process.  This suggests that aliens are coming to our country in great numbers to vote (as opposed to earning money, freedom, or the other reasons people come to our great nation) and convicted felons are deeply invested in the political process.

Ellison quotes a University of Wisconsin study that says that 23% of people over 65 do not have a valid voter ID, whether due to economic status, lack of a current driver's licence, or whatever reason.  This is not an issue that just affects minorities or the destitute.

Justice Antonin Scalia, in a scathing concurrence, indicated that the votes of those people who do not own a photo ID were "irrelevant" because they were unwilling to pay for the photo IDs required to vote. This opinion fails to appreciate the economic hardships faced by those in poverty. Scalia advocated for limiting the franchise among some of society's most vulnerable groups in the most severe and discriminatory fashion since the poll tax.

The Supreme Court is allowing Republican politicians in Indiana to erect barriers to voters believed to tend Democratic. This decision, on the eve of a primary that was expected to have record numbers of new voters, only highlights how important future nominees to the high court will be to the protection of American rights.

This measure will drive down both Clinton and Obama demographics and exclude crucial voters from our political process; something that will only help Republicans in the fall as people either can't obtain... or don't know how to obtain... valid IDs.

Ellison speaks with a bit of credibility on the subject, as we here in Minnesota know a thing or two about voting:

Minnesota consistently leads the nation in voter turnout. This is no accident. We have one of the most transparent and accessible voter systems in the country, with same day registration and no photo ID requirement. We also have a reputation for the cleanest elections in the country. We should be rightfully proud -- and the nation should follow our lead.

Thanks for your time.

cross-posted at the orange site that also cares about voter suppression.