Republicans say “what’s the big deal with getting an ID?” The answer is, for most of us, no trouble at all. But for a small percentage of people, a great deal of trouble. Why shouldn’t they have the right to vote, too?

Commenter AnneN describes her mother’s difficulty in obtaining a state ID:

On our first visit to the license center, they told her she would need to come back and bring an official copy of her birth certificate. She had to go to the website of the state she was born in and order one, and a fee was charged for that.

On our second visit, they compared her birth certificate to the last name on the driver’s license she had from Colorado, noted that her last name was different, and told her she would have to come back with an official copy of the marriage license that changed her name in 1954. So back to the Internet we went, to order up a copy of the marriage license, which required another fee.

On our third visit - and note, this is a lady who uses a walker and has a tough time standing in line, and she’s now worked her way painstakingly up to the counter for the third time - on this visit, they finally gave her the Minnesota state ID.

What if Anne wasn’t available to drive her mother to the license center three different times? What if her mother didn’t have the money to pay three separate fees? Are those good enough reasons to deny her the right to vote?