Ah, what would an election year be without a little GOP vote suppression?

Tens of thousands of Georgia voters recently received letters telling them they must show a photo ID to cast a ballot on Nov. 7, even though a judge recently struck down the requirement.

The State Board of Elections mailed more than 300,000 of the letters, about 20,000 of them after the judge issued his ruling on Sept. 19.

But Claud L. McIver, the Board of Elections vice chairman, said he did not expect voters to be confused.

"Just walk in the door," Mr. McIver said Friday.

For months, lawyers have been battling in state and federal court over the new ID law. Supporters, primarily Republicans, have said the law is needed to prevent voter fraud.

Opponents say it is intended to discourage voting by members of minorities, the poor and the elderly, who are less likely to have a driver's license or other photo identification.

Last month, a state judge declared the law unconstitutional...

Here's Mr. McIver's Find a Republican Lawyer" listing, courtesy of the Republican National Lawyers Association.

Yeah, I worry about crooked voting machines and all that, but I also worry about stuff like this that's done in plain sight -- see also, for instance, unusually long longs at polling places in traditionally Democratic precincts, and laws that attempt to inhibit voter registration by nonwealthy nonprofits.

Why haven't Democrats been demanding a new, updated Voting Rights Act? Can anyone explain that?