RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Today is Take A Loved One to DMV Day. No, It is not a punishment, but a movement to lessen the impact of the state's new voter registration laws. Starting July 1 you must bring some form of government ID to the poll when you vote.
Beginning Monday morning a political push was underway at St. Paul's Baptist Church in Richmond. But it's not about registering voters, instead there is a drive to ensure Virginia voters have the chance to actually cast their ballots when the time comes.
Earlier this year, the Governor signed into law a measure requiring any Virginia voter to produce an acceptable form of identification such as a drivers license. The governor said it is an initiative to cut down on voter fraud. However some consider it a deterrent to the elderly, the poor and minorities who do not have the state issued ID.
But without the proper ID Rev. Jamie Duncan with St. Paul's is concerned it could ultimately silence some of the voices of the voters.
The battle over voting rights is nothing new to the Commonwealth or the country. But as we inch closer to several highly contested political races things are really heating up. The presidential race is brewing. And here in the Commonwealth, the Virginia Senate race could held determine whether the Democrats or Republicans take control of the Senate.
According to The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, as many as five million voters could be turned away at the polls because of the voter ID laws. It breaks down to 18 percent of seniors and 25 percent of African Americans who do not have state issued ID.
The Take A Loved One to DMV Day, in conjunction with DMV 2 Go will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, June 4 in the parking lot of St. Paul’s Baptist Church located at 4247 Creighton Road.
For more information on voter ID requirements in Virginia click here.
