Sunny Hostin from “The View” recently claimed voter ID laws are racist and sexist. She argued these laws unfairly target minorities and women, comparing them to old racist voting rules. Hostin said requiring ID makes it harder for poor people and married women to vote. She backed a book by Elie Mystal that calls voter ID laws “bad laws” meant to suppress voters.
Conservatives fired back hard. They pointed out IDs are needed for everyday life—like getting food stamps or a job. If black Americans can get IDs for government help, they can get them to vote. Texas Congressman Wesley Hunt called Hostin’s take “soft bigotry,” saying it assumes minorities aren’t capable of basic tasks.
Hostin claimed women struggle with IDs because married names don’t match birth certificates. Critics slammed this as nonsense. Most women update their IDs after marriage without issue. They called it a fake problem to paint voter ID as anti-woman.
The debate ties to Georgia’s 2021 voting law. Despite cries of “racism,” Georgia saw record black voter turnout in 2024. Conservatives say this proves ID requirements don’t stop voters—they stop fraud. Hostin and Mystal want automatic voter registration instead, arguing it boosts democracy.
Conservatives counter that secure elections matter more than convenience. They ask why liberals fight ID checks for voting but accept them for buying beer or boarding planes. If showing ID is racist at polls, isn’t it racist everywhere else too?
Elie Mystal’s book pushes dumping laws passed before 1965, calling them rooted in racism. Critics say this would erase core legal foundations. They argue updating bad laws makes sense—not tossing every old rule because some were flawed.
Hostin has a pattern of blaming losses on “-isms.” She said Latino Texans voted Trump due to “misogyny,” ignoring border chaos under Biden. Conservatives see this as refusing to admit failed policies drive voters away.
The bottom line? Conservatives say voter ID protects democracy. They view claims of racism as excuses to cheat. As one critic put it: “If you need ID to get welfare, you need ID to pick our leaders.”
