LITTLE ROCK (KATV) - It is an issue that's been making headlines around the country as election day slowly approaches. Voting and what's required to do it is causing quite the controversy.
"This is like just bold faced you know so brash so overt that it's kind of disturbing," said Terry Richard, a sociology professor at UALR.
Democrats say it is plain and simple, a requirement of identification at the polls is a violation of the right to vote.
"What's most disturbing is that nobody raising any questions I mean nobody is saying I'm not going to let that happen. I'm not going to let people just run over me you know and trample on my rights as an American citizen," said Richard.
Republicans say it's disturbing not to require one.
"It would be fairly easy for someone to impersonate another voter and go to all those different voting stations and pile up five or six votes," said Dan Greenberg, President of Advance Arkansas Institute.
Currently in Arkansas, poll workers are required to ask for ID but you are allowed to vote whether you show it or not.
"This is the kind of measure in my view that supposed to give the illusion of voter security," said Greenberg.
Richard, who insists voter fraud is very low, says trying to avoid this will trample on the rights of some Americans including Blacks and Hispanics.
"Minority groups as well as younger populations do have lower rates of voting," said Richard. "The reality is we should be doing everything we possibly can you know to expand our voter registration roles," he said.
Richard says it's just another form of voter suppression.
"The irony of it is that these Republican-dominated legislatures are doing this in the name of patriotism," said Richard.
It is an important issue with more than enough irony to go around.
"If past trends hold, Black turn out is going to be very pro-Obama," said Greenberg. "It could certainly help Obama,"
Greenberg says that voter turnout in Georgia, where voter identification is required, increased in the 2008 election with this new law. It jumped one point for Republicans and six for Democrats. But people argue that President Obama was the reason behind that spike.
