Carding Democracy
In recent years, more and more states—fueled by exaggerated fears of fraudulent voting—have enacted laws requiring that a voter present photographic identification at the polls.
Although details of the laws vary, they all deter otherwise-eligible voters from going to the polls. Those hit hardest are the same groups traditionally marginalized in our election process: African Americans, Spanish speakers, low-income individuals, disabled voters, and youth.
The stated rationale for the measures—preventing voter fraud—is baseless. Photo ID laws prevent only one kind of voter fraud: impersonation at the polling place, in which an individual poses as a particular eligible voter and votes as that person. This sort of voter fraud is extremely rare.
The impact of this “solution” to the phantom problem of voter impersonation is not trifling; millions of dollars must be devoted to implementation, free IDs, and voter education. While photo ID exacts a steep financial cost, disenfranchising our most vulnerable citizens takes an incalculable toll on democracy.
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BLOG: Missouri Voter ID Law Back on the Table?
Two Republicans in the state legislature are reigniting a failed effort to institute a constitutionally-mandated, highly-restrictive voter ID law. Read more
Election Watchdogs Gird for Problems Tuesday
Although state election officials say they’ve got it covered, election watchdogs are warning that a potentially volatile concoction of new voters, wayward poll workers, fickle voting equipment and Mother Nature could boil over Tuesday and threaten the integrity of the results across the country. Read more
Supreme Court Voter ID Decision Legalizes Voter Disenfranchisement
On Monday, April 28, the Supreme Court rejected a constitutional challenge to Indiana’s law (Crawford v. Marion County Elections Board) requiring voters to show a government-issued photo identification before they may cast a ballot. Read more
Project Vote Statement on Supreme Court Hearing of Crawford v. Marion County Elections Board
On Wednesday, January 9, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Crawford v. Marion County Elections Board, about the constitutionality of Indiana’s voter ID law. Donna Massey, Project Vote Board Member and supporter of voting rights, issued this statement: Read more
Justice Department Continues Pattern of Disenfranchisement
The Justice Department has again gone on record supporting strict documentary identification requirements for voters, despite the fact that such laws disenfranchise voters. Read more
Federal Election Agency Plays Politics with Voter ID Study
A federal agency tasked with serving as a clearinghouse for election research played politics today when it released but declined to endorse a study documenting the impact of voter identification requirements on voting. Read more
U.S. Election Assistance Commission Research Finds Polling-Place ID Laws Reduce Minority Turnout
Advocates expressed deep concern today over new data that suggests Latinos, Asian Americans, and African Americans are less likely to vote as a result of increasingly restrictive voter identification (ID) requirements. Read more