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.
Most Recent / Relevant Items
- (207)
- (143)
- (11)
- (32)
- (22)
Advanced Filters and Sorting
It’s Never Been More Important to Protect the Right to Vote
The Nation's Ari Berman writes on the ways voting rights groups are combatting voter suppression. Read more
Will the Latino ‘sleeping giant’ wake and vote this November?
During the past few presidential elections, national media began to speculate on the effect of the Latino electorate and even gave it the moniker “the sleeping giant.” But every year, despite increased potential, it seemed that giant hadn’t yet awakened. Indicators suggest this could be the year... Read more
As state voter ID laws fall, Florida shines — for now
At a conference on voting and elections at the University of Florida, officials from the ACLU, NAACP, Project Vote, and the Brennan Center sketched the litigation landscape in 2016. Read more
Atkins: Lower courts striking down voter ID laws
In a series of rulings over the last two weeks, appellate courts across the country have been filling in the hole blown out of the Voting Rights Act of 1964 three years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court... Read more
Voter ID bills killed in House committee on party-line vote
“There was a recent analysis done by Project Vote ... that found that low income citizens, young people and communities of color are most likely to not have a state-used ID,” Elena Nunez, executive director of Colorado Common Cause, told the committee. Read more
Here’s Another Crazy Consequence of Eric Cantor’s Loss
Eric Cantor's loss in the Virginia Republican primary on Tuesday night is terrible news for voting rights. Read more
State voter ID laws snare women with name changes
Voter ID laws may create problems for women who have changed their names after marriage or divorce. Read more
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
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