
Lisa Pruitt over at the always-interesting Legal Ruralism discusses the effects of the Supreme Court’s decision this week that the state of Indiana can require people to show government-issued photo IDs before being allowed to vote. The Court acknowledged that there should be some appeal with such paperwork, and the justices approved a plan that would have citizens cast a provision ballot at the county clerk’s office within 10 days of the election.
“While such a journey might seem ‘no big deal’ to city dwellers,” Pruitt writes, “it will impose a hardship on many rural voters.” During oral arguments, Chief Justice John Roberts, a Hoosier, said this made sense because “county seats aren’t very far for people in Indiana.” Fine, because Indiana has 92 counties. Kentucky has 120. Short trips.
But what about California, a huge state divided into just 58 counties? “Makes one wonder what distance would be considered ‘excessive’ in the eyes of our urban-dwelling Supreme Court Justices,” Pruitt writes.