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93-Year-Old Tennessee Woman Who Cleaned State Capitol for 30 Years Denied Voter ID
Think Progress / News Report
Published: Tuesday 27 December 2011
“The incident is the just latest in a series of reports of senior citizens being denied their constitutional right to vote under restrictive new voter ID laws pushed by Republican governors and legislatures.”
A 93-year-old Tennessee woman who cleaned the state Capitol for 30 years, including the governor’s office, says she won’t be able to vote for the first time in decades after being told this week that her old state ID failed to meet new voter ID regulations.
Thelma Mitchell was even accused of being an undocumented immigrant because she couldn’t produce a birth certificate:
Mitchell, who was delivered by a midwife in Alabama in 1918, has never had a birth certificate. But when she told that to a drivers’ license clerk, he suggested she might be an illegal immigrant.
Thelma Mitchell told WSMV-TV that she went to a state drivers’ license center last week after being told that her old state ID from her cleaning job would not meet new regulations for voter identification.
A spokesman for the House Republican Caucus insisted that Mitchell was given bad information and should’ve been allowed to vote, even with an expired state ID. But even if that’s the case, her ordeal illustrates the inevitable disenfranchisements that result when confusing voting laws enable state officials to apply the law inconsistently.
The incident is the just latest in a series of reports of senior citizens being denied their constitutional right to vote under restrictive new voter ID laws pushed by Republican governors and legislatures. These laws are a transparent attempt to target Democrat constituencies who are less likely to have photo ID’s, and disproportionately affect seniors, college students, the poor and minorities.
As ThinkProgress reported, one 96-year-old Tennessee woman was denied a voter ID because she didn’t have her marriage license. Another senior citizen in Tennessee, 91-year-old Virginia Lasater, couldn’t get the ID she needed to vote because she wasn’t able to stand in a long line at the DMV. A Tennessee agency even told a 86-year-old World War II veteran that he had to pay an unconstitutional poll tax if he wanted to obtain an ID.
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48 comments on "93-Year-Old Tennessee Woman Who Cleaned State Capitol for 30 Years Denied Voter ID"
bblhvodo
January 03, 2012 12:26pm
The GOP has to raise ghostly flames to cover they're own ashes.
January 03, 2012 12:23pm
Can't we discern a smoke screen when we see one? Voter fraud became an issue in the 2000 election. But it had to do with those damned voting machines and the damned electoral college. Wasn't it Tennessee that said the electoral rep doesn't have to vote with the constituent majority? That's how Bush got smuggled into the White House. Maybe we should rename it the electoral kindergarten. It was so bad that many people quit voting at all. Now it's illegal aliens? From Mars? The only people here who are not illegal aliens tend to have red skin.
If the GOP continues to have it's way, we will soon be auctioning off these offices to the highest bidder. Oh, that's exactly what we are doing now. Denizons United took care of that.
Is Mrs. Mitchell black? It's Tennessee were talking about. That might explain the disrespectful way in which she was treated.
December 31, 2011 6:58am
South Carolina has a voter registration system in which potential voters provide personal information, including Social Security number, and are issued a card with a unique voter registration number. On election day, computerized lists of registered voters with names and voter number are provided to poll workers; before voting, one must present the card and sign the register. At the end of the day, the number of votes cast must match the number who signed the register. The very obvious reason for our recently passed picture registration card is to make it as difficult as possible for people to vote. How does this promote democracy?
December 28, 2011 12:42pm
Sens Corker and Alexander, as senior representatives of your state you should be ashamed of this persecution of hard working elderly citizens. Are you so unelectable that you have to resort to dictatorial tactics? For life-long shame on you and yours.
December 28, 2011 8:20am
$5.7 Million in Wisconsin. And by not telling appicants the ID is free about 40% paid $28 for the ID. Longitudinal studies of voter fraud indicate a .0009% fraud rate. Voter registration is nothing different than the laws put in place after the Civil War to prevent blacks from voting....
December 28, 2011 7:48am
This is in reply to the smug comments of Alex. My mother is 93, blind, handicapped, has never had a driver's license, and does not have a birth certificate. She gave birth with the assistance of a midwife. Since the WI legislature saw fit to "Close" about 1/2 of the DMV's in WI shortly after passing the "let's block the voters ID law". This means that my mother needs to travel 1 hr to the nearest DMV. There are no buses available to her. PLUS there is no record of significant voter fraud and yet we are spending thousands of dollars on a non-issue. Money that the states that "whine" they don't have any money could put to better use.
December 28, 2011 3:13am
“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest” -Denis Diderot
In order for America to live, the Republican Party must die.
December 27, 2011 10:10pm
@Diane Hogue: We have a God fearing man in the white house.....not that it matters to me, but Obama is a practicing Christian.
December 27, 2011 8:57pm
YOU KNOW ive read most of this stuff people have wrote on here it really makes me wonderwhy the world is not in worse shape then it is demorcarts thinking they know all the answers republicans thinking the same thing.you hate me not because i might not believe the same way you do!!!!!!!!!!!!!come on people lets stick togetherfight the enemy,not 1 another,lets take our world back !!!!PUT GOD BACK IN THIS NATION PUT A GOD FEARING MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 04, 2012 4:42am
No maam, let's get Jesus out of the state house, because I really doubt he would want to be there. This is not a Christian country, it is a melting pot of many cultures. How dare you foist you're lap dog approach to God on to the rest of us!
How many Indians died at the foot of that bloody cross?
We need accountability, religion doesn't honor that.
December 27, 2011 7:41pm
We already know how the state of Florida prevented predictable votors from selecting Gore during the Bush vs. Gore election. Just put hurdles in front of the votors, block the lines, block the roads, tell them to come back another day, whatever it takes.......
December 27, 2011 7:30pm
This is a reply to Alex D:
Your knee-jerk and thoughtless response is pitiful.Let's hope you have to surmount substantial obstacles in order to exercise your right to vote as well. Like maybe an IQ or a compassion test, that'd sink you in a heartbeat.
It's a shame that dry sarcasm
Is wasted on so many today...
December 27, 2011 7:23pm
This has got to stop - it is more crap from the Republicans and as far as I'm concerned it is illegal !!!!!!!
December 27, 2011 6:51pm
You strike me as a young 20-something without much real knowledge of how things work in the world. Nothing I can do about that, so I suggest that you try to live long enough to see the world through a 90-somethings eyes. Im just sure that all this little old lady has to do is just jump into her car and drive down to the DMV and tell them that they were wrong when they said her old State Employee ID was not acceptable. That couldn't take more than 10 minutes to fix, and she will be home in time to watch her soap operas. If you live long enough (and I'm sure that the operative word here is 'Long') you might come to see that you are not the center of the Universe.
January 04, 2012 4:48am
You're phony name says it all. Go huff a hooka, Alice.
That's the most pityless comment I have seen yet. Oh, was that you behind the counter?
January 01, 2012 6:21am
Exactly. The article seems to be void of facts. If the writer wanted to be helpful the article would provide solutions instead it is simplytrying to inctite partypolitics. I go with what anoter comment said...be careful what ou wish for
December 27, 2011 10:20pm
Allison: You're joking, right? First, I doubt this little old lady is driving any more, if she ever did. If she could drive she'd have state ID already. Next, you've obviously never been to a DMV office if you think anything can be fixed in 10 minutes. Finally, why do you assume she watches soap operas. If this isn't intended to be satire, I'd have to conclude that you are the one who thinks you are the center of the Universe.
December 29, 2011 12:13pm
Pretty sure she was joking.
December 27, 2011 6:43pm
The voters of TN got what they asked for. What's that old saying, be careful what you ask for, you might get it.
December 27, 2011 6:35pm
If you do not have enough money to be a sheep of consumerism then you are not fit to vote.It seems these pseudo-religious scare tactics are working as instead of focusing on the economy and nation building, they are passing laws to cement their positions in power, exercise a police state, and use the bible to make laws that purposely discriminate against anyone who would remotely would vote as a democrat or for the rights of the population. Republicans are Constitution Haters.
December 27, 2011 6:34pm
Of the crooks, for the crooks, by the crooks. Demagoguery in action
December 27, 2011 6:29pm
What can you expect from a state full of "Clems"?!
December 27, 2011 6:28pm
We in Kansas made the mistake of voting the person in as Secretary of State who brags about creating these laws. His name is Kobach and he is a disgrace. he doesn't comply with the finance laws that cover someone running for office but sees voter fraud in every shadow.
December 27, 2011 7:26pm
So vote him out !
December 27, 2011 6:13pm
Not sure how I got connected to this website, but this thread quickly tells me I don't like it.Sorry, you whiners out there, but if somebody doesn't have the initiative to get a proper ID, I'm not at all sure why they should be entitled to suffrage, whatever their race, creed, color, economic circumstances, or political affiliation.For those of you dedicated to the 'entitlement mentality', go out and create a service organization to tend to the needs of a deserving voter such as the subject of this blog. But for damn sure don't ask me to blithely accept the right of any stranger, however undocumented, illegal, perhaps even dead, to participate in our sacred election process.It just isn't that tough to get an ID. Most (if not all) states with ID requirements provide a free alternative to the traditional driver's license. For the overwhelming majority of us (white, black, yellow, young, old, poor, whatever) I don't see it as a hurdle too high to surmount if you want the right to cast your ballot.My humble opinion.
January 04, 2012 4:59am
Many of us grew up in a time when ID's were considered a fascist tool against personal liberty. I still do. You don't, so I think you a bit wet behind the ears to be commenting on the state of old age.
If you don't like this site, why comment? Venting? Trolling?
Call me a whiner? You'll be whining in November I'd bet.
December 28, 2011 12:50pm
To Alex Doyle: We don't like you either! Try living in the shoes of someone who is elderly and lived most of their long years under segregation. Where did you get your self-righteous, intolerant and ignorant attitude? I hate to think. I suppose you're one of those hypocrites professing Christian Values.
December 28, 2011 5:55am
Son, this is what happens when you fix something that isn't broken. See if you can find 10 cases of vote fraud in the entire USA over the last election cycle. You will find astoundingly more cases of legitimate voters being denied their right to vote, because of the GOP's efforts to keep Democratic leaning voters from the polls. When you keep people from voting who have been voting longer than you have been alive, that's just wrong. Heck, when this lady was born women couldn't vote. (19th amendment, 1920)
December 27, 2011 9:18pm
I live in Nashville, Tenn. and know where the several drivers license offices are located. None are on bus routes. A person needs to go there by car. I doubt 93 y.o. has car or drives. She very probably is black, poor and had to have someone drive her to that office, and then had to stand & sit in line for some time before being rejected. She made an effort and was rejected, maybe by error or misunderstanding, so now she has to go through this again. She showed initiative to get proper ID, and isn't whining. Does this make her an "entitlement mentality" case? The voting fraud strawman raised by GOP to deliberately block many in certain classes that probably will vote Democratic. I wonder if you, Mr. Doyle claim to be a Christian? And have charity and love in your heart? How sad.
December 27, 2011 6:42pm
A right shouldn't require any hurdles to be jumped over or hoops be jumped through. If it does it's not a right. Mr. Doyle obviously lives in a world where a trip to the DMV, the money to pay for a license, the money to buy a car to even need a license for that matter, don't require a second thought. He never realized that there are people to whom those are insurmountable challenges, and now says it is their own fault. Well, it's not necessarily their own fault and more folks will be falling into that category in the coming years, perhaps even Mr. Doyle. Regardless of their circumstances, they are still citizens who have a right to vote. And BTW Mr. Doyle, it is not a "sacred" process, it is a civic process and imaginary beings have nothing to do with it.
December 27, 2011 6:23pm
Amen!
December 27, 2011 5:45pm
the State is criminal in this case
December 27, 2011 5:45pm
OMG! How do those seniors possibly pay a grocery bill with a check?! Oh, that's right... they don't need an ID, they just use their smartphone or pay online. I think it's unconstitutional to require some form of gov't issued ID for that. Wait while I check on that... ohhhh, crap!
January 04, 2012 5:08am
That's right prez, It's "Just a piece of paper" now. Sorry guys, the free(dom) ride is over.
It's shameful how an uneducated drunkard can make such a negative change in America.
They say employment is low? Has anyone taken a count of all of the new security types working everywhere? Well, yeah, that is low employment.
December 27, 2011 4:40pm
DISGUSTING...! Beyond belief.....
December 27, 2011 4:31pm
So Repubicans have no integrity. Are we surprized? The party of no is also the party of no integrity. No compassion, No empathy, No jobs, No respect for the banking laws intended to protect the economy, no respect for the constitution, no respect for the majority of their constituents, no respect for honest journalism, no respect for the truth if it financially inconviences them or their cronies, no respect for freedom of religion or the saparation of church and state, No, No, No, the list is so long,there isn't enough room or time to complete this. I like the way the Amish deal with people like this. Shun them!
December 27, 2011 6:27pm
And, of course, the Dems are absolutely pristine pure on all of the above? Give me a break. I'm a conservative, but even I wouldn't be this dogmatic and irrational in my criticism of Democrats. May I suggest you try to open your eyes, take a look at the real world?
December 27, 2011 4:30pm
In 2004, claiming rampant voter fraud, the right wing convinced Arizona Voters to pass a law requiring voter ID and documented proof of citizenship contrary to the Help America Vote Act. Arizona Advocacy Network sued the State of Arizona to prevent these anti-voting laws from going into effect. AzAN lost on the voting ID requirement but upon appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, won to remove the proof of citizenship to register requirement. The rightwing governor and secretary of state appealed to the 9th Circuit to hear the case again, with full panel of 11 judges which they did in June 2011. We now wait their finding and expect the losing side to appeal to the Supreme Court (scary). It will take more work to undo the disenfranchisement of citizens inflicted by voting IDs but this article and the one in the NYT regarding college students and new ID requirements is our first step to educating the entire public.
December 27, 2011 4:29pm
The GOP's path back to power, not through the creation of new approaches to our problems, but through the negative route of kicking as many blacks, Latinos, and poor whites from the voting rolls.
December 28, 2011 7:22am
Right on, my brother/sister! I couldn't have put it better myself...
December 27, 2011 4:14pm
Shame on the State. If she ever clears this up, I'd suggest to vote for anyone else other than the boneheads currently in power (State and Nationial).
December 27, 2011 4:13pm
Why isn't this illegal? The republicans are making a mockery of the supposed democratic process in existence in this country. Since I don't watch mainstream news, but wonder if this has been on those news channels? Obviously, not Fox - but pseudo-real (I know, an oxymoron, but hey, if the shoe fits) news programs?
December 27, 2011 4:06pm
What can we/I do about this dreadful situation? Is there a petition, an email write-in?
January 04, 2012 5:11am
I'm afraid not, but there is a voting booth for some of us.
December 27, 2011 5:36pm
I'm sure you can find an email chain letter to add your name to.