Back on March 12th of 2024, Rep. Wesley Hunt pushed back against arguments that requiring government-issued identification to vote unfairly burdens Black Americans, calling the claim insulting and disconnected from reality while emphasizing personal responsibility and election integrity.

Hunt said the idea that Black Americans are incapable of obtaining identification relies on outdated stereotypes.

“Make the case that being black in America means we can’t obtain a government ID to vote. And that’s not only a ridiculous assertion, it’s demeaning and it’s insulting,” Hunt said.

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He added that some lawmakers continue to frame the issue as if the country has not progressed.

“Many of my colleagues on the left like to pretend that we’re still living in the 1950s. Well, we’re not.”

Drawing on his family history, Hunt said his parents grew up under Jim Crow laws in the South.

“My parents grew up in a Jim Crow south in the 50s and 60s in New Orleans, Louisiana,” he said.

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He noted that even then, identification was attainable.

“Do you know what my father had back in the 40s and 50s, before it was even cool, a government issued ID,” Hunt said.

Hunt said his own experience demonstrates how common and accessible identification is in modern America. “Continuing in his footsteps, I too have multiple government issued IDs,” he said.

He acknowledged that the number of IDs he holds may surprise critics of voter ID laws. “And while that might be shocking to many people in this country, people may ask, how does it happen? It’s very simple, personal responsibility for all Americans in this country, regardless of what you look like.”

Hunt then listed the forms of identification he currently possesses.

“Sitting with me today is my global entry card, my military ID card, my Texas driver’s license, my Texas license to carry, because that’s how we roll on Texas, my congressional card, and, of course, good old fashioned American passport,” he said.

Mocking the suggestion that obtaining such identification is unusually difficult, Hunt said, “What sorcery is this? What am I the black Houdini, how was I able to pull off the impossible and attain not one, not two, not three, but six? Government issued IDs.”

Hunt tied the issue of voter identification to his military service and the broader concept of election security.

“I fought for this country as in a passage, helicopter pilot to protect free and fair elections and having a government issued ID isn’t racist, it’s American,” he said.

He argued that identification is already required for most aspects of daily life, making opposition to voter ID requirements inconsistent.

“Need to have an ID to drive a car, to check into the airport, open bank account, you need an ID for basically everything,” Hunt said.

Hunt concluded by criticizing what he described as a double standard pushed by the political left.

“Be a responsible adult in this country, except for voting, apparently, according to the left,” he said.

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