Tennessee voter photo IDs
The driver service center at 3200 East Shelby Drive in Memphis will open first Saturday of October and November to issue photo IDs to registered voters who need them.
At the centers, registered voters must present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, and two proofs of Tennessee residency, such as a copy of a utility bill, bank statement or vehicle registration or title. They must also fill out an affidavit verifying that they do not have any of the government-issued photo IDs approved for voting, that they are a registered Tennessee voter and need the photo ID for voting purposes.
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NASHVILLE — State officials announced plans Thursday to open eight driver service centers, including one in Memphis, on the first Saturday of October and November to give citizens more opportunities to get photo identification cards required for voting in the November election.
Also Thursday, the City of Memphis filed a motion in Davidson County Chancery Court for an expedited hearing next week on its lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the voter-photo ID requirement. Arguing that many registered voters in Memphis and elsewhere will be blocked from voting in November for lack of approved photo IDs, the city is asking the court for a temporary injunction to block the state from enforcing the photo ID requirements for voting until state officials can establish they have provided IDs to all registered voters.
Attorneys for the city asked for a hearing to be set for Sept. 14, but Chancellor Carol McCoy has not ackted on the request yet.
The eight centers will open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 6 and Nov. 3 but only for issuing voter photo IDs and converting non-photo driver's licenses into photo driver's licenses, the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security announced. No other services will be available at the select centers on those days.
In Shelby County, only the driver service center at 3200 East Shelby Drive will open on the two Saturdays. However, registered voters without any of the government-issued photo IDs approved for voting purposes may obtain the voter photo IDs at the three other driver service centers in Shelby County during their regular business hours — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. They are at 3040 Walnut Grove, 6340 Summer and 5019 West Union Road in Millington. They are also available at the limited-service License Reinstatement Center in Hickory Ridge Mall during its regular business hours on weekdays.
"Any citizen who needs a photo ID for voting purposes may obtain one at no charge by visiting any of our 51 driver service centers during normal business hours. As an added service, we are again opening certain centers for special Saturday hours to make sure everyone has an opportunity go get a photo ID," state Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons said.
People entering the service centers to get a voter photo ID should inform the center staff and they will be placed in an "express service" line, department spokeswoman Jennifer Donnals said.
Donnals said the department chose the East Shelby drive location as opposed to the more central Walnut Grove location for the Saturday openings because "the East Shelby Drive location is much larger and has sufficient parking. The Walnut Grove location has poor parking and cannot hold as many people, if needed. People can still visit the Walnut Grove location Monday through Friday."
To get a photo ID for voting, registered voters must present to a driver service center examiner proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, and two proofs of Tennessee residency, such as a copy of a utility bill, bank statement or vehicle registration or title. They must also fill out an affidavit verifying that they do not have any of the government-issued photo IDs approved for voting, that they are a registered Tennessee voter and need the photo ID for voting purposes. A copy of the affidavit for printing out in advance, and other information are available on the department's website at www.tn.gov/safety.
Groups or organizations planning to make a group visit to a driver service center in West Tennessee should schedule an appointment by calling Rochelle Bryant at 931-242-7282.
The other stations open on the two Saturdays are in Jackson, Dresden, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Cookeville and Johnson City.
The driver service center at 3200 East Shelby Drive in Memphis will open first Saturday of October and November to issue photo IDs to registered voters who need them.
At the centers, registered voters must present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, and two proofs of Tennessee residency, such as a copy of a utility bill, bank statement or vehicle registration or title. They must also fill out an affidavit verifying that they do not have any of the government-issued photo IDs approved for voting, that they are a registered Tennessee voter and need the photo ID for voting purposes.
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Comments » 43
weeklyreader writes:
Only took 30 years of long lines to come up with this no brainer.
SayItAintS0 writes:
The Democraps will still complain.
thevans70 writes:
Just make sure you have enough people on hand to handle the volume, no excuses later about how you didn't anticipate long lines! (THE)
samagee writes:
It’s about time. Don’t you think this would have been an easier solution than the expense of invalid Library Cards? Unbelievable
KHA writes:
Don't you think that City officials asked the state to do this before issuing expensive library cards...
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
You people have not been able to beat the LAW with your series of stupid lawsuits and attempts to fraudulently skirt said law with the library card SCAM--so now it's time get a grip, join the rest of the civilized-free-world and get a photo ID.
It's really not that hard....really!!!
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
Of course they did not!! That's what this has been about; an attempt to allow those that are not legal or too lazy to actually get to the DMV to have one more excuse.
The last thing the city of Memphis wanted is the elimination of an excuse not to get an ID.
The more muddied the waters, the better for this bunch.
datGuy writes:
Good step. It would be better if they opened all Saturdays. If you need to close on Mondays or Monday/Tuesday AM (or PM), you can be budget neutral and still serve more effectively.
Other states do it, why can't we? I bet if it was open regularly it would quickly become the busiest day of the week (like it is other places).
-guy
Mexican_Blackbird writes:
Sorry Guy, but the hord of the lazy will still not do it.
meateater writes:
Of course ,they can't help themselves. It's in their genes.Can't wait to hear what they will come up with now to complain about.
datGuy writes:
that's simply not the case - go to a DMV in another state on Saturday and you'll see. Having lived in multiple states that were open Saturdays, it's very convenient. I received my 1st license on a Saturday.
-guy
TheKingfish writes:
To think that I can go to a liquor store, buy a 5th of rot gut Mad Dog 20/20 and have to show a photo ID but not show one to take part in the most important part of my civic duty is laughable at best.
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
Yo, Alice, you're no longer in Wonderland. You are now in Memphis....the land of the irresponsible, lazy and entitlement minded.
Just a heads up.
datGuy writes:
You have no clue of what you speak when it comes to what being open Saturdays means. It actually might be a benefit for bitter crotchety ole white people that have no other experiences in their lives.
-guy
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
I'm a "crotchety ole" 39 year old that has lived, with the exception of my college years, in Memphis for my entire life and I speak from absolute experience.
Why do you think that there has been such a fight put up because of this law by the democratic party in Memphis????
This is due to the fact that they know just how lazy, irresponsible and entitlement minded their voter base has become in this area. That's why!!!
They know full well that there isn't enough initiative present as a whole for these people to get out, gather the required documents and actually get the ID required to vote. They also know that illegals won't be able to get the ID.
BTW...why did you change your screen name, NewGuy?
Webmaster writes:
+5
WatusiLuci writes:
Libs, no more cheating. No more dead voters voting. Say it ain't so! Cast one vote only!
L_S (Inactive) writes:
No Kingfish.
You couldn't be further from the truth. You have the same warped, racist, bigoted mentality as so many other Republicans.
Why would Republicans find for the FIRST TIME in history (at which we coincidentally have our FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT) the reason to go and start suddenly changing all the voter laws?
This is ONLY to systematically disenfranchise likely democratic voters and two federal courts already have overturned two attempts by Republicans to change voter ID laws because he found that they would have a disparate impact on minorities. One of those states was Texas.
This is a SHAM. The Republicans are making the last attempt considering the changing demographics to DILUTE MINORITY VOTING POWER.
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
Place the bottle on the nightstand, take your meds and get some rest, LSmith.
s6412f#681556 writes:
Duh...why didn't I think of that solution????
observer99 writes:
I'm betting it will be a good shift to work. Nobody is going to show up. Any one who cares has already done it.
deaconcarol#507342 writes:
Why is it that posters on this cite think that those who have difficulty getting a voter ID are just lazy? Could it be that these voters find getting to places such as Shelby Drive difficult? Do you realize that some of these perspective voters do not have the money to pay someone to drive them to that location which is a long way from their home? Maybe they do not have a birth certificate. It cost me money to get one several years ago. Maybe some people to not have that money or their birth was never recorded at a time when home births were not unusual. Maybe many of them do not drink rotgut, drive a car, cash a check or all the other reasons given to support the idea that everyone uses some form of voter ID.
We all know what this VID is all about. Suppress the
vote for the black guy. VID was never an issue until a black man was elected President of the United States. Look at the states where VID was implemented. This legislation was coordinated by a group whose sole mission is to suppress the votes of the minorities.
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
The year is 2012, it is time to get current, get with the times, get a photo ID and act responsibly. This includes, "the black guy".
If this is that big of an obstacle, then not voting is the least of one's problem.
It is what it is.....
datGuy writes:
So you have no experience then do you? that's the problem with living nowhere else - you don't know as you have NO experience.
I changed the name months ago - asking now- not so important to you is it?
-guy
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
We're talking about Memphis and Shelby County, are we not? Trust me, this adjustment will not result in increased numbers of otherwise unmotivated individuals all of a sudden taking care of personal business that should have already been addressed.
Most of these people don't work in the first place and do nothing during the work week anyway. Why will extended hours on Saturday make any difference? Answer...it will not! They already have a lot of spare time on their hands in the first place.
Common sense.
You failed to answer my question. Why did you change the name.
datGuy writes:
common sense fails in the face of real experience. It's never been tried here, people who have only lived here don't know - including you.
To your question - I did answer - it's not important to you. That's both common sense and also demonstrable as you never asked before after months. Apparently you didn't like the answer.
-guy
Hillcrest71 writes:
YOU'RE SO RIGHT!!! I mean left, but right.
You left out ONE WORD.
DILUTE 'FRAUDULENT' MINORITY VOTING POWER
Its just 1 word, but oh does it change the meaning.
Or should Republicans move to follow the same rule...vote as many times as you can FOOL the election commission, especially here in Memphis, and cities like ours, where the demographics support getting away with ballot box stuffing.
Hillcrest71 writes:
SCREW your racist comments
datGuy writes:
brought the sock puppet out for the day huh?
-guy
thecatsmeow writes:
LSmith,
You live in Dallas but had no problem with your Aug. ballot. YOU ARE VOTER FRAUD!
thecatsmeow writes:
How about instead of the City of Memphis filing a frivolous law suit doomed to fail, we use those funds to actually help those, who need it.
Set up pick up points on every Wednesday and those Saturdays throughout the city and use MATA buses to take anyone, who needs a ride, to get an ID for free.
Easy solutions to help those who truly need it are out there, let's get it done.
countyres writes:
You are correct. The problem is the DMV in Memphis. I drove to Oakland to get my chauffeurs license about a year ago. It took all of 30 minutes from in the door to out the door. That's why I made the drive. Memphis DMV has been a joke since the 70s.
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
guy---
Actually, I did ask you on another thread back when you first made the change. I guess you didn't see it.
I care, I really do.....
countyres writes:
But as the Blackbird said, the horde of the lazy will still not do it and have some other reason why they can't get an ID.
countyres writes:
Unfortunately no matter what is done to accommodate people it will not be enough. These people really don't want to do it or just say it is racist or whatever else they can come up with 1,000,000 reasons not to. After it is all said and done the Monday morning quarterbacks will come out of the woodwork to say it should have been done this way or that way. It is a losing proposition. They will always complain.
thecatsmeow writes:
Well, he is no longer "New".
datGuy writes:
that's a fair critique and should be addressed. I don't think shutting down a good idea based upon some bad execution in only one location makes sense.
-guy
datGuy writes:
you are not supposed to provide the answers! ;-)
-guy
datGuy writes:
yup, dumb lawsuit. Seems there's lots of silly lawsuits out there right now.
The problem with having so many attorneys is they often think they need to be doing something. I've found changing a role is often a great solution so they no longer feel need to do former role. Perhaps we could put those guys in charge of driving the buses!
-guy
bluetaxi writes:
"the city is asking the court for a temporary injunction to block the state from enforcing the photo ID requirements for voting until state officials can establish they have provided IDs to all registered voters."
Its not the states responsibilty to take care of anyones personal bussiness and getting an ID is personal bussiness.
plyguy writes:
Those attending the Democrat Convention in Charlotte had to show their photo ID from one to three times on each visit, depending to what area they were trying to get to. They were alerted ahead of time as to the requiremnt. I did not hear of any reports of people complaining.
Your last sentence proves you do not know what you are talking about, The Republicans want every citizen to have the opportunity to cast their vote. Why would you not want the same? Every poor person can get transportation to get a picture ID. Just ask their local Democrat Party or their church pastor for assistance. They will help. No more excuses.
thecatsmeow writes:
Well, I guess not many on here are truly concerned about helping people get an ID. I guess they would rather have it as a "fake" political issue.
inthegrove72#700117 writes:
Here's the problem, Cat:
Your idea would require action, motivation, initiative and effort. These things are foreign to those that are whining about the photo ID law.
These people are those that sit back and wait on others to hand them checks, free healthcare and free housing.
Why on earth would they lift a finger to obtain an ID that they have gotten by without for years.
This of course, excludes the elderly because they don't need the photo ID due to being able to cast a ballot from home via US mail.
The whiners that I speak of will not be satisfied until there are no requirements at all to cast a vote.
With that said; in my opinion, your idea goes too far. If these people can get to the polls--then they can get to the DMV to get an ID as well.
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