Iowa GOP Doesn’t Think Voter ID is Necessary

Iowa Caucus Won’t Require Voter ID, and Will Allow Election Day Registration, in Order to Encourage Participation 

All across the country Republican legislators have been pushing strict voter ID requirements and the elimination of same-day registration, under the guise of protecting the integrity of elections. Today in Iowa, however, Republicans without a photo ID will be allowed to vote. The party is also inviting voters to use Election Day registration, which means that a citizen can show up to the polls, register, and cast their vote even if they neglected to register earlier.

Why the turn-around? Because the Iowa Republican Party knows what we all know: that photo ID requirements make it harder for eligible citizens to participate in democracy, and Election Day registration makes it easier.

It will be exciting to watch whether more voters turn out today because of these policies, and what that could mean for the debate over voting rights in America. As Think Progress notes, Election Day registration usually has the positive effect on increasing voter turn out. “A 2001 study found that states which employ Election Day registration (EDR) boost their voter turnout rate by 7 percentage points, without partisan gain for either side. The study found that poorer and less educated voters benefited the most from EDR.”

On the other hand, requiring strict voter ID laws has the opposite effect. “Voter fraud” in America is extremely rare, so the only thing strict ID laws accomplish are to make it more difficult for some groups—especially minority and low-income voters—to vote at all. Just last month, the Justice Department blocked South Carolina’s proposed voter ID restriction law, on the grounds that it was likely to disenfranchise voters. The Justice Department’s action sends a direct message that the fundamental American right to vote will be upheld.

It is interesting to note that Iowa Republicans seem to understand that voter ID rules suppress the vote, which is why they don’t want those rules applied to their own primary. They also know that Election Day registration encourages more citizens to participate. When it comes to the Iowa caucus, the GOP wants as many eligible citizens as possible to register and vote: it would be nice if they would take the same approach to elections.