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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Online registration may ease state voter disenfranchisement
A March 27 report by Project Vote found that last year more photo ID laws, voter purges and voter registration restrictions were either introduced or passed in state legislatures across the country than ever before. Read more
Where Voter ID is Required To Cast a Regular Ballot
Map by National Conference of State Legislatures via Washington Post Strict photo voter ID laws are popular in state legislatures.... Read more
Three months, 30 states, 55 new voting restrictions
It is, as Project Vote's Erin Ferns Lee put it, "an onslaught." Read more
New Voter Suppression Efforts Prove Voting Rights Act Still Needed
According to a report by Project Vote, 55 new voting restrictions have been introduced in 30 states so far this year. Read more
Legislative Battles Over Voting Rights Continue in 2013
In a report released today, voting rights organization Project Vote analyzes all of the voting related bills introduced, passed, or rejected across the country in the first quarter of 2013, and finds that the recent trend towards disenfranchisement continues. Read more
Congress Holds Hearing on State of Voting Rights
Today, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing to address The State of the Right to Vote After... Read more
Va. House Proposes to Narrow List of Accepted Voter ID
CORRECTION, Nov. 21, 2012, 8:50 p.m. PT: Updated to clarify that 5% of provisional voters, not all voters, cast provisional... Read more
Photo ID not required for Tuesday’s General Election
Registered voters in Texas should be aware that they do not have to present a photo ID to vote. Read more
Voter ID Rulings Vex Administrators Ahead of Election Day
In some of the most closely watched and intensely fought-over states, recent court rulings and still-lingering litigation have cast doubts on whether voters and administrators are up to the task of handling what will be one of the most scrutinized elections in recent memory. Read more
Election-day registration: The anti-voter ID
Though states with voter ID will likely see a significant decrease in their voter turnout, those losses could be offset by turnout gains in states with Election-Day Registration. Read more