Kamala Harris Draws Flak For Saying Rural Communities Can't Photocopy IDs

By Mary Webber Jul 12 2021, 03:07 AM EDT

Vice President Kamala Harris has drawn flak over her comment that it may be "almost impossible" for people in rural communities to have a photocopy of their IDs.

Kamala Harris made the remarks during an interview with Soledad O'Brien for BET News, Newsweek reported.

The vice president commented on the voter ID laws, saying that it could mean well, but it would also mean that people would have to xerox or photocopy their IDs.

She then added that a "whole lot of people," particularly those in rural communities, do not have Kinkos or OfficeMax near them.

"Of course people have to prove who they are, but not in a way that makes it almost impossible for them to prove who they are," Kamala Harris continued.

Netizens React to Kamala Harris' Comment

Some Twitter users had taken offense to Kamala Harris' comment, saying that they had no difficulties making photocopies despite being in rural communities.

A netizen said the vice president's claim was not true and insulting. Former CIA officer Bryan Dean Wright noted that he was among rural Americans who built this country, and they can manage to photocopy their IDs, Fox News reported.

Veteran and Pennsylvania Senate candidate Sean Parnell said no one is buying the said argument against voter ID. Parnell noted that a huge majority of Americans support voter IDs, adding that it should be done.

Jake Schneider, who does communications for Minnesota Rep. Michelle Fischbach, said he grew up in a rural community without an OfficeMax or a Kinkos. However, they still had managed to make photocopies of things on certain occasions.

Other Republican lawmakers also took a jab at Kamala Harris' statement, like Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, who said they live in a rural community, and they are perfectly capable of operating a copying machine.

Kamala Harris also received harsh criticisms for her response to the migrant influx, leading to the current border crisis. She eventually visited the border after her trip to North America's northern triangle, where many migrants come from.

Last month, President Joe Biden announced that he tapped Kamala Harris to lead the White House fight to protect voting rights and expand access to the ballot box, which she particularly asked to lead. Her other task is to fight voting rules passed by Republican-led legislatures in some states.

There were reported tensions between Joe Biden and Harris' teams, Guardian reported. Several West Wing officials reportedly called the vice president's office a "shitshow." However, the White House dismissed the narratives.

Voting Rights Efforts

House Democrats passed the For the People Act in March, seeking to restrict voter identification requirements and require states to register people to vote automatically and offer ballot drop boxes, Washington Examiner reported.

Republicans have criticized the proposed law as a nationalization of election law, which they claim violates the Constitution.

Earlier this week, Kamala Harris announced that the Democratic National Committee is allotting an additional $25 million in its voting rights initiative after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld voting restrictions earlier this month.

The decision is likely to help Republican states fight challenges to voting restrictions in place since the 2020 election.

The high court's conservative majority had upheld the voting limits in Arizona. Meanwhile, a lower court has found it discriminatory under the federal Voting Rights Act.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Kamala Harris Slammed For 'Insulting' Claim Rural Communities Can't - From News Today