Fallout Over Voter ID: Indiana Nuns Lacking ID Denied at Poll

The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the law requiring photo identification for Indiana voters. Although reports are that the majority of voting has gone smoothly, one report shows just what's wrong with this idea, and why the GOP so strongly supported it.

12 Indiana nuns were turned away Tuesday from a polling place by a fellow nun because they didn't have state or federal identification bearing a photograph.

Sister Julie McGuire said she was forced to turn away her fellow sisters at Saint Mary's Convent in South Bend. Here's what's interesting. She said they were not given provisional ballots because they could not possibly get to the DMV and get a photo ID in the 10-day time frame. Why?

"You have to remember that some of these ladies don't walk well. They're in wheelchairs or on walkers or electric carts."

Disenfranchised because of age?

Some of the nuns showed up with outdated passports. While I understand that the law specifies a type of ID, I fail to see why they could not have added a provision allowing expired passports. After all, expired passports are just fine as ID when getting a job.

At any rate, this is just a small example of how poor and seniors will be disenfranchised by voter ID laws. These are usually groups that vote Democratic in elections.

Sister McGuire said the convent will make a "very concerted effort" to get proper ID for the nuns in question prior to the general election.

"We're going to take from now until November to get them out and get this done. You can't do this like school kids on a bus. I wish we could."