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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Parts of Texas Photo ID Law to Take Effect Thursday

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Most of Texas’ newly enacted legislation will take effect on Thursday, the first day of the state’s fiscal year: “Then... Read more

S.C. Dems Urge DOJ to Reject Discriminatory Photo ID Bill

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UPDATE: The U.S. Justice Department announced on August 29 officials need more information before deciding whether to approve the state’s photo... Read more

“Suppressing the Vote” with Photo ID Laws; N.H. Lawmakers Plan to Override Veto

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This year, partisans vehemently fought to pass photo ID and other laws to allegedly prevent voter impersonation at the polls.... Read more

Restrictive Election Bills Gain Traction in 2011, But Not Without a Fight

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Today, Project Vote released the second installment in our ongoing Election Legislation Threats and Opportunities Assessment series that examines proposed... Read more

Penn. Officials Still Pursue Photo ID Law, Despite Lack of Voter Impersonation

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Pennsylvania voters and advocates are concerned with the commonwealth’s latest effort to conform to the Republican-led trend to pass restrictive... Read more

Civil Rights Groups Urge Justice Dept. to Reject S.C. Photo ID Law

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Civil and voting rights groups urge the Justice Department to reject South Carolina’s photo ID law, stating in an 18-page... Read more

More Members of Congress Urge DOJ to Review Photo ID Laws

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Last week, more than 100 House Democrats urged the Justice Department to investigate whether photo voter identification laws violate the... Read more

Ohio Photo ID Rule Dead, For Now

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Ohio photo ID bill, HB 159 will not be considered this session, according to Darrel Rowland and Ben Geier at... Read more

Partisan Politics Drive Democracy into Reverse

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Just over a week before 46th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act—a cornerstone to civil rights and... Read more

U.S. Senators Call Upon DOJ to Scrutinize Photo Voter ID Laws

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Today, members of the United States Senate urged Attorney General Eric Holder to review restrictive photo identification requirements under federal... Read more