April 28, 2008 8:25 AM

Supremes Decide to Limit Access to Voting

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Indiana's 2005 law requiring voters to possess state-issued photo identification cards in order to cast a ballot was constitutional. The issue, as argued by civil rights groups, is that many poor and older people do not have drivers licenses, and obtaining a new identification card represents a barrier that is discriminatory. Those voters who appear at the polls without such ID will only be able to cast a provisional ballot and they can be counted only if the voter travels to the county clerk's office (does anyone know where that is?) and signs an affidavit. Most provisional ballots around the country are simply not counted.

More later on this, but it is likely to have a significant impact on voting in Indiana, including in next week's primary, and will be copied by Republicans everywhere who seek to limit voting rights.