Thanks for posting this...I realized there had been no acknowledgement on these boards today and was going to post something but figured I'd just let it go. We need strong voices for women's rights more than ever, sadly.

Well, we’ve been conditioned not to recognize our strength. Plus, today, there was one less hour to honor us. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I was going to mention how we were short shrifted an hour even on that day! But we're used to it, right?

@arcy_gw It's INTERNATIONAL Women's Day, so even if you think women in the USA have it so great, many women around the world have it much worse. I guess I'll accept that women here have it so great when we have equal say over our bodies and medical care, when our earnings equal that of men, when women and girls don't have to worry about incest, rape, and domestic violence, when half of those governing us are women, and much more. And I don't know what eletect, tollowed, contraining mean, but I can figure out what Christain, Constituional and Demoracy mean....oh, and I live alone so no boarders in my house.

WHERE do you people live???

I live in *your and my country*, arcy, the USA, where women make 83 cents for every dollar a man makes. Where we are unable to elect a woman president. Where the SAVE act -- not a single gop member in the house voted against it -- would effectively add a poll tax to any married woman who took her husband's name. Where women are being harmed and killed as they can't receive the medical care they need and the medications they need.

Something to think about as you so cavalierly reject the Judeo-Christain values our Constituional Demoracy was built on.

You mean where christian nationalists actively work to re-create a patriarchal society where women must be subordinate to their husbands and whose primary role is child bearing? The constitutional democracy (and republic) that waited over 140 years before granting women the right to vote?

NO WHERE in the entire world are women more respected, appreciated, elevated, eletect, followed that in my country --USA.

Actually the US ranks 45th out of nations in terms of gender equality, with the nordic nations ranking tops. Perhaps taking a piece of your own advice to 'travel more' is a good idea.

As the notorious RBG put it, we'll be equal when we have 200 years of only women on the Supreme Court just as we had 200 years of only men.

@OllieJane An issue with the act is…Last names must match photo id. For many. this means birth certificate and Driver lic. etc. This could work well for men, or folks who have retained their birth surnames. But, for folks such as myself, as a traditionalist, I took my husband’s surname.

Passports can work, but they are $$$ and millions of citizens don't have them. Applying for a passport can also be a tedious undertaking. I tease my SIL who had her application returned 4x due fo lack of info, errors etc. It took her 5 tries, before she got it right snd done! There are many other issues with the Act as well, these are not clearly described in news sources and media. Bottom line, it is not as simple as it sounds, its all in the fine print!

What happens to the homeless adults??

If you are already registered, then using the ID forms you suggest are normal in most states. If you are REGISTERING to vote, then you will have to jump through a lot of hoops to get the ID that will satisfy that requirement. It's that simple. They are making it HARDER to register to vote.

The act is also a concern for military families, as well.

Ollie, WA state is the same as Oklahoma. Our mail-in ballots have to be in a signed envelope where each signature is compared to the signature in the voter registration file. If the signatures don't match, the ballot is set aside and challenged. The SAVE act will put up barriers to be able to vote, for both Democrats and Republicans. Both parties will be disadvantaged. Voter fraud isn't widespread. And illegal immigrants already aren't allowed to vote. The penalty is stiff if they do and they're caught. Why would an illegal immigrant risk that just to vote?

The problem with Real ID/driver's licenses is that they are not proof of citizenship; they are proof of identity and that the holder was legally eligible to be in the US at the time the ID was issued. To prove citizenship one of the following documents is required: US passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate or proof of tribal membership. Legal permanent residents and other legally present immigrants are eligible to apply for and be issued Real IDs.

The SAVE act is flawed in that Real ID is listed as one form of acceptable documentation to prove citizenship for voting purposes. A lot of people are under the impression that REAl ID is proof of citizenship and I think it's important to clarify that when it comes up.

I do not mean to cause this thread to drift further from its original intent of celebrating International Women's Day and I hope that one day all women everywhere are celebrated and appreciated for their valuable contributions.

Republicans have the majority, the presidency, so where do they think the fraud is? Is that how they were elected?

As an aside, it really bothers me when other items are included in bills that really have nothing to do with the main bill, just so they can get passed into law. It happens frequently, it is nothing new.

It's clear why they're raising these issues now.

A good friend worked at the "vote counting" center in San Francisco. She said the scrutiny that mail-in ballots receive is mind-boggling; it is virtually impossible to cheat.

Another: my son registered to vote at 18; his signature was different from the ballot he submitted. His ballot was twice returned, and he had to meet with the voting "council" to straighten out the mess.

Rosie, what you wrote about Real ID isn't quite accurate. You have to provide proof of citizenship to obtain a Real ID.

From the .usa.gov website:

How to get a REAL ID

When you apply for or renew your driver’s license or state identification card, you can choose to make it REAL ID-compliant. When you receive your new card, it will have the REAL ID star marking at the top right.

The process of getting a REAL ID and what documents you must provide depends on your state. In most cases, your state driver’s licensing agency will require you to bring proof of your:

• Identity - To prove your identity, you can bring a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, or Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) if you are a non-U.S. citizen.
• Social Security number - You can provide your Social Security card, Form W-2, which shows your earnings for tax purposes, or a pay stub or paycheck from your job.

Note it does say that it "depends on your state." I haven't researched which states.

Also, bpath makes a good point. Who currently has the majority? If there was widespread fraud, how could Republicans hold the majority? What is fraudulent?

sephia, your first sentence is problematic as proof of citizenship isn't an accurate term. It would be accurate to say proof of citizenship or legal status to be in the US.

Green card holders cannot prove US citizenship when applying for a real ID because they are not citizens.

As noted in the government website info, acceptable proof of identity is a US birth certificate or passport or a green card for those who are permanent residents/non citizens.

My original point was that presenting real ID or a driver's license when voting doesn't prove citizenship because non citizens are eligible to apply for and obtain real IDs. Real IDs are not proof of citizenship.

How can non citizens apply for Real ID if they don't have a US birth certificate or a US passport?

If you can show RealID, you've had to prove your identity to get RealId. The point of the SAVE act is proving your identity. Getting RealID requires proof of citizenship.

I'm in WA state. We are one of the few states with "enhanced driver's licenses." I use it at US airports as my "Real ID.' To get an enhanced driver's license, I had additional screening and had to show my birth certificate. My license says 'enhanced driver's license' on it.

According to AI real ID is proof of either citizenship or legal residency. Enhanced DL however is proof of citizenship.

Per the TSA Government site in the REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions page they state:

" Noncitizens lawfully admitted for permanent or temporary residence, noncitizens with conditional permanent resident status, noncitizens with an approved application for asylum, and noncitizens who have entered the United States as refugees are eligible for a full-term REAL ID license or identification card. "

" non-U.S. citizens in a “temporary lawful status” as defined in the REAL ID regulations remain eligible for temporary (limited term) REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card with a validity period no longer than the period of authorized stay in the United States, or if there is no definite end to the period of authorized stay, one year. These categories of individuals in a “temporary lawful status” as defined in the REAL ID regulations include a person who is a nonimmigrant; has a pending application for asylum; has a pending or approved application for temporary protected status; has approved deferred action; or has a pending application for lawful permanent resident or conditional permanent resident status. "

Real ID just says you are legally in the country - not that you are a citizen.

As for voting - the Heritage Foundation - The Washington DC Conservative Think Tank has made a major effort to document voter fraud over the past 40 years. They produced fewer than 70 proven cases of noncitizens who voted in elections in the last 40 years.

https://www.mctyrelaw.com/post/unpacking-myths-about-noncitizen-voting-how-heritage-foundation-s-own-data-proves-it-s-not-a-probl?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=blog.post-promoter&utm_campaign=62e1d963-3f32-48b9-94d0-8b049d6c823e#:~:text=illegals%20are%20voting%20in%20federal,in%20July%2C%20similar%20claims%20abounded.&text=electoral%20fraud%2C%20either%20registering%20to,vote%20or%20voting%20when%20ineligible.

Why are we spending money to fix something that isn't broken?

Why don't we concentrate on the things that are broken? Why don't we have a national voter registration list instead of making every county in the US keep separate lists and limiting voters from voting where ever they are? Why are counties allowed to purge lists leaving qualified voters unable to vote? Why can't all states offer same day registration (half do it already).

@Feathers11 - Thank you for posting this - I completely missed that is was International Women's Day.

Both of my Grandmothers were suffragists and went through things that we can't even imagine. My mom and her sister's were young women during WWII. They all worked at the steel mill during the war, but were sent home when the boys came back because the men had to support their families. That included my one Aunt, who had 3 children, but her husband didn't return from the war. She couldn't keep her job because the men needed the work. She would have to find another husband to support her children.

My sisters and I were part of the Superwomen generation - we can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan . . . and never never never let you forget your a man. Gag me! We fought hard, but we gave too many men and too many young women the wrong ideals. We didn't say that if women pick up part of the earning workload the men need to pick up part of the non paid work.

I hope the next generation does better.

That's the thing, Sephia, they don't use a US passport or birth certificate. Green card holders use their green card to apply. Other immigrants who are here legally who aren't permanent residents use whatever paperwork they have from the US government such as a current visa. That's why requiring real ID's for voting purposes such as specified in the SAVE act doesn't make any sense.

Enhanced drivers licenses are different. They do prove citizenship, but are only available in a Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and as you mentioned, Washington. Real IDs prove identity not citizenship.

It's something that there is a lot of confusion about and I think even some of the politicians aren't clear about this, otherwise, they wouldn't have included Real ID as an acceptable form of ID in the SAVE act. If they really want to tighten things up, they'd require a US passport or one of the other forms I mentioned in my first post for voting. The problem with that is a lot of folks don't have passports and at $130 application fee, they aren't cheap to get, not to mention the paperwork, passport photo (another expense) and running around to get one.

Because of the importance of the commemoration, I've deleted a comment that was here that I thought and still think was appropriate but in hindsight, better to not launch a discussion in a different direction.

It was in respect of the Gag - me comment above which I think was an unhelpful generalization from someone who I would guess would be unhappy about being on the receiving end of a someone else's generalization.

Growing up both here and abroad, I witnessed how often women were held to higher standards and expectations than men, yet were still treated as less than equal. Those experiences shaped my understanding of the quiet and persistent inequalities women have faced for generations.

My mother’s path was different in some ways. She came from a well to do family and was highly educated - opportunities many women of her time never had. But she never forgot the struggles other women endured. She often spoke to me and others about the barriers they faced and became a strong advocate in the fight against illiteracy, especially for young girls. She believed education was one of the most powerful ways to lift women out of poverty and give them the freedom to shape their own futures.

On this past International Women’s Day, I’m reminded that progress is built not only by grand movements, but also by the voices of women like my mother who refused to ignore inequality and chose instead to help change it.

(from a male’s experience and perspective)