Voter ID

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.

Voter_ID

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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What Kind of Year Has It Been for Election Laws?

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WASHINGTON, DC — With Americans heading to the polls in just four weeks, a new report from voting rights group... Read more

What Kind of Year Has It Been for Election Laws?

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With Americans heading to the polls in just four weeks, a new report from voting rights group Project Vote shows that many beneficial election reforms were proposed in 2014, but few voters will find it easier to cast a ballot on November 4. Read more

Study Finds 24,000 Transgender Citizens Could Be Blocked from Voting in November

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Battles over voter ID are raising concern across the nation just weeks away from the November 4 election. While Wisconsin implements... Read more

Make Voting EASY

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Recently, five forward-looking members of Congress introduced the “Equal Access to Support Youth Voting Act” or “EASY” (H.R. 5144). It... Read more

Here’s Another Crazy Consequence of Eric Cantor’s Loss

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Eric Cantor's loss in the Virginia Republican primary on Tuesday night is terrible news for voting rights. Read more

In Election Legislation, Many Proposals but Few Solutions

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Today, Project Vote released a new report analyzing the legislative landscape in 2014, and assessing the ground gained and lost so far in the war over voting rights.  Read more

New Policy Paper Examines Photo ID Laws

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Today, Project Vote is pleased to release the latest policy paper in our Issues in Election Administration series, Photo ID Laws. Read more

Penn. Judge Sides with Voters, Strikes Down Voter ID Law

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Pennsylvania’s controversial voter ID law was found unconstitutional today. Read more

Project Vote Applauds Introduction of Bi-Partisan Bill to Restore the Protections of the Voting Rights Act

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Today, Congressmen James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and John Conyers (D-MI), and Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), introduced a bipartisan update to the Voting Rights Act. Read more

Policy Paper: Photo ID Laws

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In this policy paper, Catherine M. Flanagan and Estelle H. Rogers look at photo voter ID laws, the concerns with voter ID policies, and litigation challenging strict photo ID laws. Read more