John Oliver's HBO show "Last Week Tonight" finally returned from its three-month hiatus Sunday night. Kicking off the show's third season, Oliver took on voter ID laws by saying voting is "the cornerstone of American democracy" and "that everyone should have an equal vote, even idiots."
Oliver noted that in recent years, some states have made it harder to vote by ramping up voting requirements like showing an ID at voting booths. The host then cited data from Texas that said more than 500,000 people who are registered to vote do not have the proper forms of identification, like a driver's license or passport. Oliver then added that these laws have ended up mostly affecting African-American and Latino voters. The former "Daily Show" correspondent then argued that these laws do not stop voter fraud, they only stop voter impersonation.
"It's just one of those things that white people seem to be more likely to have," said Oliver. "Like a sunburn, or an Oscar nomination."
The host then showed a number of clips of politicians saying the ID laws had no effect on voting. Republican Robert Gleason admitted that the law cut President Barack Obama's support during the 2012 election against Mitt Romney.
"Oh no, you're saying the thing everyone knows, but you're not supposed to say out loud," said Oliver of the politician admitting the laws helped Romney. "That's like writing, 'I'm desperate to bone' on an online dating profile, or a band calling their reunion tour 'We Ran Out of Money.'"
Check out Oliver's entire segment on voter ID laws below.
