Voter ID legislation
| “ | Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania: done! | ” |
| —Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R) in June 2012 | ||
Voter ID legislation in some states requires voters wishing to cast a ballot at the polls (and in some cases, via absentee ballot) to present approved identification. Voters without identification are generally allowed to cast a provisional ballot, which may be counted only if the voter takes additional steps after the ballot is cast, such as providing identification or signing an affidavit.
Voter ID proponents argue that requiring voters to present identification will reduce voter fraud. Opponents suggest that in-person impersonation fraud, the kind of fraud typical voter ID laws are able to prevent, is very rare, and they argue that voter ID requirements can have a disparate impact on minority voters, college students, and the elderly. The evidence shows that voter ID laws do not negatively impact minority turnout, something even The New York Times had to admit.[1][2][3][4]
Although Democratic Party leadership opposes voter ID legislation, both Republican and Democrat voters support it.[5]
Republican vs. Democrat attitudes
According to a study conducted by Professor John V. Kane of New York University, published in Public Opinion Quarterly, while Republican voters strongly care about voter fraud and stopping it through voter ID laws, Democrat voters care more strongly about whether or not their party will benefit from such legislation when deciding to enact voter ID.[6]
Despite Democrats' opposition to them, voter ID laws have broad popularity. For example, in 2018, North Carolina voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment to require IDs when voting.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Binder, John (August 10, 2018). Exclusive–Eric Eggers: ‘No Evidence’ that Voter ID Laws ‘Negatively Impact Minority Turnout’. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ↑ Binder, John (August 10, 2018). Voter ID Law Had No ‘Suppression’ Impact on Black Americans in Recent Alabama Election. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ↑ Dinan, Stephen (February 13, 2019). Study undercuts Dems in voter ID fight: 'Disenfranchisement allegations were always a smokescreen'. The Washington Times. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ↑ The Voter Suppression Myth. The Wall Street Journal. May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ↑ Swoyer, Alex (May 28, 2017). More Democrats see voter fraud as a problem and ID laws as a solution. The Washington Times. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ↑ Dinan, Stephen (December 26, 2017). Republicans care about voter fraud; Democrats want to come out ahead, says study. The Washington Times. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
- ↑ Clabough, Raven (November 7, 2018). N.C. Voters Approved Ballot Measure to Require Voter ID on Tuesday. The New American. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
