Paul also emphasized his commitment to restoring voting rights for felons. Paul: Don't go 'crazy' on voter ID

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has said that the GOP’s push for tough voter ID and related laws is “offending” minorities and that the party shouldn’t “go too crazy” on the matter.

The comments, made in an interview with The New York Times on Friday, could upset conservative voters who have promoted the laws in several states as a way to stop voter fraud.


Opponents of the laws argue that voter fraud is a rare problem, and that the real reason behind measures that require voters to produce specific identification, limit early voting and other statutes is to effectively disenfranchise poor and minority voters who tend to support Democrats.

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Paul, a potential 2016 presidential candidate who is trying to reach beyond his libertarian-leaning base, suggested the GOP was over-hyping the topic.

“Everybody’s gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing,” Paul said, noting that the debates over the law had a racial element to them. “I think it’s wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it’s offending people.”

Paul made the comments in Memphis, where he spoke at the Republican National Committee meeting as well as met with a group of black pastors.

Paul has offended African-Americans in the past, including with comments that questioned the Civil Rights Act.

But he also has made a concerted effort to reach out to blacks during what appears to be a build up to a presidential campaign. In particular, he has focused on the criminal justice system, pushing for changes in drug sentencing laws, for instance.

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According to the Times, Paul emphasized his commitment to restoring voting rights for felons, another issue of concern for the African-American community.

“The bigger issue actually is whether you get to vote if you have a felony conviction,” he said. “There’s 180,000 people in Kentucky who can’t vote. And I don’t know the racial breakdown, but it’s probably more black than white.”

On Monday, Paul senior adviser Doug Stafford issued a statement downplaying the senator’s comments, saying they were made as part of a “larger discussion about criminal justice reform and restoration of voting rights.”

“In the course of that discussion, [Paul] reiterated a point he has made before that while there may be some instances of voter fraud, it should not be a defining issue of the Republican Party, as it is an issue that is perhaps perceived in a way it is not intended,” Stafford said. “In terms of the specifics of voter ID laws, Senator Paul believes it’s up to each state to decide that type of issue.”