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# Comedian Lewis Black on Voter ID Laws: 'No F\*\*\*ing Way'

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/owdEBSP0.m3u8" -->
## Video: Lewis Black Says F#%! Voter Suppression

[Watch (HLS stream): Lewis Black Says F#%! Voter Suppression](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/owdEBSP0.m3u8) (1:46)

![Lewis Black Says F#%! Voter Suppression](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/owdEBSP0/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2014-10-09. Lewis Black Says F#%! Voter Suppression_


by 

[Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/)


## Maya Rhodan


Oct 9, 2014 3:51 PM UTC

by 

[Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/)


## Maya Rhodan


Oct 9, 2014 3:51 PM UTC

Comedian Lewis Black, often outspoken on political issues, has some colorful words for state legislatures passing laws that advocates warn could make it harder for many Americans to vote.

“Look, people marched and fought and died for the right to vote and they want to legislate away that sacrifice to stay in power?,” the comedian screams on a video released by the American Civil Liberties Union Thursday. “Not on my watch, baby.”

Black appears alongside Dale Ho, director of the ACLU voting rights project, who explains some of the [many restrictions](http://time.com/3483918/the-contest-behind-the-election/) facing voters this November, including a Wisconsin law requiring government identification that advocates warn 300,000 voters don’t have.

The video comes just a day after the Supreme Court ruled to allow [North Carolina’s voting law](http://time.com/3482974/supreme-court-north-carolina-voter-rights-midterm/) to stand this November, reversing a lower court’s order allowing voters to utilize same day registration and out-of-precinct voting, which the 2013 law eliminated. Republicans in North Carolina support the law, which they say will help prevent voter fraud.


## Transcript

Just give me a minute. I'm going to get the camera set up. Thanks a lot for agreeing to be our celebrity ambassador on voting rights, Lewis. We'll try to make this photoshoot as painless as possible. Well no photoshoot is painless but I'm happy to help. It's important. I mean who is denying people. [ COUGH ] The right to vote. You'd be surprised. We're fighting people trying to suppress voting all over the country. Like North Carolina. They slashed a week of early voting. That affects two million people. Right. If I could just get you guys to look at the lens. Why stop people from voting early?

Well early voting makes it easier to vote and that can decide an election. Here this is a picture I carry around with me everywhere I go in case I get a chance to talk about early voting. Look at that line. What the hell is that? Is, is it Black Friday? Yeah, I mean, you'd think that the people of Florida would want their voters to like, you know, vote. What's next, a poll tax? Well. Oh, no **** way. [ CROSSTALK ] if I could just have you look into the light, please. [ CROSSTALK ] A voter ID like they tried to implement in Wisconsin costs money. It essentially is a poll tax. And look at what they made Wisconsinites do just to get one of these ID cards.

This is an actual document from the state of Wisconsin which is supposed to show how easy it is to get an ID. This looks like a chart showing how tough it is for a sperm to find a fertilized egg, which explains why it's so tired when it finally gets there. guys. Elected officials shouldn't get to choose who gets to choose elected officials. Look people marched and fought and died for the right to vote and they wanna legislate away that sacrifice to stay in power? Not on my watch baby. If I could Take the picture.

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