Hosts Of "The View" Think Minorities And Women Unable To Get Legal ID

The women of The View, a popular daytime talk show, have been vocal about their concerns regarding voter ID laws, often framing these laws as barriers that disproportionately affect minorities and women. Their perspective seems to stem from a belief that these groups face systemic challenges that make obtaining official identification more difficult, rather than a direct assertion that minorities and women lack the intelligence to acquire IDs. For instance, they have highlighted how women, particularly married women who change their names, and transgender women whose IDs may not reflect their current gender, encounter bureaucratic hurdles that can complicate the process of updating identification. This viewpoint aligns with broader progressive arguments that voter ID laws create unnecessary obstacles for already marginalized groups, potentially suppressing their ability to vote.

However, this stance has drawn criticism from some quarters, as reflected in recent discussions on platforms like X, where users have accused the hosts of implying that minorities and women are incapable of navigating the process of obtaining an ID. Critics argue that this framing risks infantilizing these groups, suggesting they lack the agency or competence to handle what many consider a basic civic responsibility. For example, the process of getting a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, typically involves straightforward steps like providing proof of identity and residency—steps that millions of Americans, including minorities and women, successfully complete every year. By emphasizing the difficulty of this process for certain demographics, the women of The View may inadvertently perpetuate a narrative that these groups are less capable, even if their intention is to highlight systemic inequities rather than individual shortcomings.

A deeper examination reveals that the hosts’ concerns might be more about structural inequalities than intelligence. Data from studies like the 2006 Brennan Center for Justice survey indicates that a significant portion of voting-age women—around 34%—lack a document with their current legal name, often due to name changes after marriage or divorce, which can create discrepancies at the polls. Similarly, minorities, particularly Black and Hispanic voters, are statistically less likely to have access to the resources needed to obtain IDs, such as transportation to a DMV or the ability to take time off work. While the women of The View aim to advocate for these communities, their rhetoric can sometimes be interpreted as patronizing, fueling a backlash from those who argue that such framing undermines the resilience and capability of minorities and women in overcoming systemic challenges to exercise their right to vote.