Vice President Kamala Harris infuriated Americans on Saturday after she suggested voter ID laws don’t work because it’s “almost impossible” for rural Americans to photocopy their IDs.
“I don’t think that we should underestimate what [compromising on voter ID] could mean,” Harris emphasized in an interview with BET News. “Because in some people’s mind[s], 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 Kinkos, 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,” Harris continued. “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.”
Harris’s controversial interview initially aired on Friday, and quickly drew backlash over the weekend for seeming incredibly out of touch with Americans.
Hi, I live on top of a mountain on the WV/VA border and I can photocopy my ID. I mean I do it while moonshining White Lightning while dueling banjos play in the background but I can still do it. https://t.co/clxtK5NmRU
— Chris Barron 🇺🇸 (@ChrisRBarron) July 10, 2021
I guess rural folks don’t go to the doctor, buy cigarettes, or alcohol, or drive cars.
— Doug Hamblin (@Rocknrollrev) July 10, 2021
I live in the middle of nowhere. I can photo copy my ID. She’s so misinformed and so ridiculous. It’s absurd
— mom (@mom18008390) July 10, 2021
*Actual footage* of us leaving to go find a thing called "Kinkos" many moons ago in rural America. pic.twitter.com/N00qenS0sb
— The Bold Italic (@thebolditalic) July 10, 2021
Harris’s remarks ignore the fact that there are countless ways in which Americans can photocopy their IDs, from cheap public copy machines to at-home printers. According to Pew Research, over 80 percent of rural Americans own smartphones, providing yet another means through which Americans can order copies of photo identification or can connect to at-home printing devices.
Americans are required to provide identification to fly on an airplane, rent hotel rooms, and purchase, drive, and rent cars, among many other activities. Harris presumably isn’t worried about these requirements.
According to Pew Research, 80% of rural residents own a smart phone. https://t.co/XBefY2ykAq
— Joe Pilot, MD (@JoeSilverman7) July 11, 2021
Former CIA officer Bryan Dean Wright slammed Harris for her claims. “We built this country. We can manage to photocopy our IDs,” he said.
Rural American here.
We built this country. We can manage to photocopy our IDs. https://t.co/GQFIqKM2d6
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) July 10, 2021
Veteran and Pennsylvania Senate candidate Sean Parnell agreed. “No one is buying this ridiculous argument against Voter ID. The vast majority of Americans support it. Let’s get it done,” he argued.
"Of course people have to prove who they are. But not in ways that make it impossible to prove who they are."
Uhh wut….? 🤔🤔
No one is buying this ridiculous argument against Voter ID. The vast majority of Americans support it.
Let’s get it done. https://t.co/EZnHvytXm5
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) July 10, 2021
Parnell is correct to assert that the “vast majority” of Americans support voter ID laws. According to recent polling from The Associated Press, at least 72 percent of American adults support requiring photo identification to access the ballot box.
While Republicans pursue measures in states like Texas and Georgia to mandate voter identification and limit election fraud, Democrats nonetheless decry such reforms as “racist” and otherwise problematic. Harris’s absurd claim that rural Americans can’t photocopy their IDs is just the latest amongst Democrats’ attempts to dismantle election integrity.
