Former Vice President Joe Biden accused the Republican Party of racism because they supported voter identification laws.
Although laws are different between states, voter identification laws required that a government-issued ID be presented before a voter can reach the ballot box. In some states, the ID must be presented on at the polls while others only require an ID for voter registration.
Republicans who support these laws argue that the ID requirement is a protection against voter fraud by ineligible voters, such as illegal immigrants or felons.
Joe Biden, however, claimed the laws are much more nefarious.
On Saturday night, Joe Biden spoke at a campaign event in South Carolina and claimed Republicans want to use voter identification laws in the same way the south used Jim Crow laws to prevent black voters from reaching the polls. He claimed that Republicans don’t want minority communities to cast their vote because it could hurt their chances at winning.
“Folks, last year, 24 states introduced or enacted at least 70 bills to curtail the right to vote and guess what, mostly directed at people of color. You see it. We’ve got Jim Crow sneaking back in. No, I mean it. Why? Why? Because they know. You saw what happened in North Carolina. You saw what happened in Georgia. You saw what happened in Florida. Why? Cause you know if everybody has an equal right to vote, guess what, they lose.” Said Biden.
The former Vice President’s claims were quickly used by other Democrats, including the Democratic Coalition, which quoted Biden and added the hashtag “bigot president” in a smear against President Trump.
While there were Democrats that clearly agreed with Joe Biden’s claim, several others called out his own record and questioned whether he has solid ground to stand on while claiming Republicans support Jim Crow laws.
As previously reported, there are many reasons Republicans back voter identification laws, none of which involve race or suppressing votes from eligible voters as there is little evidence that voter identification laws impact voter turnout.