Queensland voter ID plan sparks claims Indigenous electors would be shut out

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/19/queensland-voter-id-indigenous-disenfranchised

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More than 40,000 marginalised people in Queensland, particularly Indigenous people, the disabled and elderly, could be shut out of the democratic process due to the state's planned "onerous" voter ID laws, community groups have warned.

In a an open letter to Queensland attorney-general Jarrod Bleijie, the groups warn that the proposal "unnecessarily restricts Queenslanders' voting rights" and could disenfranchise those who do not have the required identification documents.

The Queensland government plans to introduce the law – which applies only to state polls – before the 2015 state election, meaning Queensland would become the first state or territory in Australia to require that voters show identification at the polling booth.

The government has said that ID will not have to include a photo. But community groups are concerned that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, who do not have access to documents such as birth certificates, and the elderly and infirm, who would have problems making a return trip to the polling booth should they forget their ID, will be penalised.

The groups, which include the Human Rights Law Centre, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service and Youth Affairs Network of Queensland, said the laws would be an "expensive policy response to a problem that does not exist".<br /> <br />"There is very little evidence of voter fraud, so this would be a complete waste of money," Emily Howie, of the Human Rights Legal Centre, told Guardian Australia.<br /> <br />"There's a high risk of disenfranchising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the elderly, the homeless and the disabled. It will restrict the right to vote, particularly marginalised people.<br /> <br />"We've seen how voter ID laws have been used to remove rights in the US, especially for the black community and people who don't support the government of the day.<br /> <br />"We don't want that kind of disenfranchisement in Australia. There's still time for the Queensland government to rethink this."<br /> <br />Bleijie told Guardian Australia the plan to require ID on polling day would "protect the integrity of our electoral system".<br /> <br />"It's important to note that we have supported in principle the proof of identity concept, subject to public education and appropriate transitional arrangements," he said.<br /> <br />"For voters who may not have photo ID, particularly older and younger electors, proof of identity won't be restricted to photographic identification."<br /> <br />"The implementation of this reform will be subject to public education and careful planning in the lead-up to the 2015 election.<br /> <br />"Many of our reforms will in fact make voting easier. We are removing all restrictions for eligibility for pre-poll or postal votes and we are also investigating technology that would allow people to vote electronically."

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