Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News
Citizens in the nation’s capital are preparing for more government interference and hasher pandemic regulations as Mayor Muriel Bowser prepares to implement her new vaccine passport and ID mandates for individuals hoping to eat out at restaurants, go to bars, or enter other public venues.
According to WTOP DC, this mandate was announced in December of last year and starting Saturday businesses will be required to check to ensure that their patrons are vaccinated before allowing them to enter. Beyond showing proof of vaccination, those who wish to go out will also be forced to show proof of identity by way of an approved ID.
Remember that starting Saturday you will need these three things before heading out:
1. Proof of Vaccination (12 years +)
2. Proof of Vaccination and Photo ID (18 years +)
3. MaskFor more information visit https://t.co/1guYaUWd08. pic.twitter.com/0s6Aspnu2x
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 11, 2022
“As of 6 a.m. on Jan. 15, anyone 12 and older wishing to enter a D.C. restaurant, bar, sports venue, gym, nightclub, or conference center will need to show proof that they’ve had at least one shot of an approved coronavirus vaccine. As of Feb. 15, everyone visiting those same venues will have to demonstrate they’ve had ‘a full initial course of vaccination, which does not include boosters,” the Washington Post reported.
This policy is in stark juxtaposition to D.C.’s policy on voter ID laws, which are much laxer when it comes to who is allowed to cast a ballot, according to Ballotpedia.
“Washington, D.C. does not require identification from most voters. The District of Columbia Board of Elections (DCBOE) requires voters who submitted their voter registration application by mail or online without one of the following documents to present one the first time they vote.”
The list of acceptable documents includes; a government-issued photo ID with name and address, another government-issued document that shows your name and address or “A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck that shows your name and address (issued no earlier than 90 days before the date you mail your application or, if you do not submit proof by mail or online, 90 days before the date you vote).”
Ther has been national frustration over the voter ID laws in many states with progressives stating that ID laws are unfair to minorities who might not have equal access to identification for a variety of reasons, while conservatives maintain it is a common sense requirement that helps ensure election reliability.
Left-wing American Civil Liberties Union and other liberal organizations has been in arms about identification requirements. “Minority voters disproportionately lack ID. Nationally, up to 25% of African-American citizens of voting age lack government-issued photo ID, compared to only 8% of whites,” according to their Fact Sheet on Voter ID Laws. There has been no comment from the left regarding these ID requirements, however.
The Babylon Bee’s social media manager commented, “Democrats really went from ‘it’s racist to need an ID to vote’ to ‘you need an ID to leave your house’ within two years. Whew.”
President Joe Biden on Tuesday again criticized Georgia and other Republican led state’s that have passed similar voter ID requirements, calling such laws, “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.”
“Instead of celebrating the rights of all Georgians to vote or winning campaigns on the merits of their ideas, Republicans in the state instead rushed through an un-American law to deny people the right to vote,” Biden had said last year, adding, “This law, like so many others being pursued by Republicans in statehouses across the country is a blatant attack on the Constitution and good conscience.”