'Is the Queen racist?': Republicans troll Democrats after monarch says photo IDs must for UK voters
Queen Elizabeth was lionized by some American conservatives as a champion against electoral fraud after she appeared to nod in agreement with a proposed Tory bill to introduce mandatory voter ID in British elections.
The Republican State Leadership Committee heralded the Queen as a warrior against "woke" liberal activists. "The woke cancel culture mob continues to call voter ID racist. Now that the Queen of England will require an ID to vote, will Dems cancel her too?" the committee wrote on Twitter.
The woke cancel culture mob continues to call voter ID racist.
— Republican State Leadership Committee (@RSLC) May 12, 2021
Now that the Queen of England will require an ID to vote, will Dems cancel her too? pic.twitter.com/XG9s8sp4uO
A number of conservative social media figures chimed in. "The Queen of England is about to start requiring Voter ID (probably because she’s wondering how Sadiq Khan’s crazy ass got elected again) but America is still trying to call it racist. Is it racist now when the UK does it?" Former Florida congressional candidate Lavern Spicer tweeted, while former President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Jenna Ellis rhetorically asked, "Is the Queen racist?" Conservative journalist Kyle Becker added, "The Queen of England is *triggering* the left worldwide with a major announcement."
The Queen of England is about to start requiring Voter ID (probably because she’s wondering how Sadiq Khan’s crazy ass got elected again) but America is still trying to call it racist. Is it racist now when the UK does it?
— Lavern Spicer (@lavern_spicer) May 10, 2021
Is the Queen racist, Marc? Or are you a hypocrite and totally full of it?
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) May 11, 2021
You right now ⬇️ https://t.co/JzVjTTol26 pic.twitter.com/e30ZdsRP4d
BREAKING: The Queen of England is *triggering* the left worldwide with major announcement.🔻https://t.co/wni8V52Szq
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) May 11, 2021
Th 95-year-old monarch confirmed on Tuesday, May 11 that the British government would soon be introducing laws to "ensure the integrity of elections," thereby giving a royal nod to the requirement of voter identification during elections in the United Kingdom. She referred to the proposal during her speech at the State Opening of Parliament, touting the measure as one that would "strengthen and renew democracy and the constitution."
Trump, himself a strong proponent of voter ID provisions in the US, reacted to the Queen's announcement saying the proposal was "exactly what we should do in the United States."
"All States should pass Voter ID laws along with many other fair and comprehensive election reforms, like eliminating mass mail-in voting and ballot harvesting, so we never again have an election rigged and stolen from us," Trump said, referring to claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. "The people are demanding real reform!" he added.
It's worth noting that Voter ID laws vary across states in the US. 18 states are currently asking for photo ID and 17 are accepting non-photo ID, per the National Conference of State Legislatures. The remaining states use other methods, including a signature-checking system. However, six states — Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Wisconsin — are described as “strict," especially because they require voters without ID to return with acceptable identification for their provisional ballot to be counted.
The state of Georgia made sweeping changes to its voting laws last year, including ditching a signature-matching system in favor of voter ID when it comes to mail-in ballots. The measure has been described as overly restrictive, but Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp has vowed to defend it in court to ensure “free and fair elections” despite any threats, boycotts, or lawsuits that may arise.
“I want to be clear: I will not be backing down from this fight. We will not be intimidated, and we will also not be silenced,” Kemp told reporters. “Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola, and Delta may be scared of Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden, and the left, but I am not,” he said, referring to entities that have criticized the new law.