In an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “On the Record” with Greta van Susteren on Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) warned his Republican colleagues not to overplay their hand when it comes to voter identification.
Paul said that it’s not unreasonable to have expectation that a voter should be able to show identification at a polling precinct. However, he said it was important for Republicans to be aware of the perception in the African-American community that voter identification laws are being used to suppress their vote.
“We shouldn’t be tone deaf,” Paul said. “And that’s all I’m saying – we shouldn’t be tone deaf. But I’m also not saying it’s not unreasonable idea. You know, most of the buildings here in Washington you have to show a driver’s license for. So, I’m not opposed. But let’s not be tone deaf in saying it’s no big deal. It is perceived in some communities as being something nefarious Republicans are doing. We have to change people’s perception of us as a party so they will listen more to what we are trying to do.”
Paul appearance was in response to a New York Times article from last week that claimed he had diverged from his party on this issue at the Republican meeting held in Memphis. However, the junior Kentucky senator had insisted he was taken out of context by the Times.
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