Why oppose voter id

Or voting from the wrong address. Or ballot box stuffing by officials in on the scam. In the page document that Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel filed on Monday with evidence of allegedly illegal votes in the Mississippi Republican primary, there were no allegations of the kind of fraud that ID can stop.

Instead, requirements to show ID at the polls are designed for pretty much one thing: people showing up at the polls pretending to be somebody else in order to each cast one incremental fake ballot. This is a slow, clunky way to steal an election. Which is why it rarely happens. Former U. The map below displays only those states that require already-registered voters to present identification at the polls on election day as states requiring identification. Many states that require identification allow voters to cast provisional ballots if they do not have requisite identification.

Please see the table below the map for more details and follow the links provided for each state for more information. All voters are required to present photo identification at the polls in South Carolina. This includes a state driver's license or ID card, a voter registration card that includes a photo, a federal military ID, or a U. A voter can receive a free photo ID from his or her county voter registration office by providing his or her name, date of birth and the last four digits of his or her Social Security number.

In Tennessee, voters must present government-issued photo identification at the polls. Some voters are exempt from ID requirements. Voters can obtain a free photo ID from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security at any participating driver service center.

In order to receive an ID, a voter must bring proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate and two proofs of Tennessee residency. Ballotpedia features , encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error.

Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Share this page Follow Ballotpedia. What's on your ballot? Jump to: navigation , search. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Hover over each state in the map for more details.

In addition, in Minnesota, voters who have not voted in four years must present identification. Several other states that generally don't require identification require it if a voter did not provide it upon registering. Voting procedures generally; identification; assistance to voters; voting records; penalties.

Category : Election governance support and opposition. Voter information What's on my ballot? Where do I vote? How do I register to vote? How do I request a ballot? When do I vote? When are polls open? Who Represents Me? Congress special elections Governors State executives State legislatures Ballot measures State judges Municipal officials School boards.

How do I update a page? Election results. Privacy policy About Ballotpedia Disclaimers Login. Supporters of voter identification laws argue that requiring voter identification prevents voter fraud, that voter identification laws do not decrease minority voter turnout, and that requiring identification to vote is not burdensome. Opponents of voter identification laws argue that voter identification laws are a burden for many voters, that voter identification laws target minorities, and that in-person voter fraud is rare.

Every individual who is eligible to vote should have the opportunity to do so. It is equally important, however, that the votes of eligible voters are not stolen or diluted by a fraudulent or bogus vote cast by an ineligible or imaginary voter. The evidence from academic studies and actual turnout in elections is also overwhelming that—contrary to the shrill claims of opponents—voter ID does not depress the turnout of voters, including minority, poor, and elderly voters.

Many Americans do not have one of the forms of identification states acceptable for voting. These voters are disproportionately low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Such voters more frequently have difficulty obtaining ID, because they cannot afford or cannot obtain the underlying documents that are a prerequisite to obtaining government-issued photo ID card. Voter ID can prevent and deter: Impersonation fraud at the polls; Voting under fictitious voter registrations; Double voting by individuals registered in more than one state or locality; and Voting by illegal aliens, or even legal aliens who are still not entitled to vote since state and federal elections are restricted to U.

Millions of Americans Lack ID. Obtaining ID Costs Money. Even if ID is offered for free, voters must incur numerous costs such as paying for birth certificates to apply for a government-issued ID. Underlying documents required to obtain ID cost money , a significant expense for lower-income Americans. The travel required is often a major burden on people with disabilities, the elderly, or those in rural areas without access to a car or public transportation.

In Texas, some people in rural areas must travel approximately miles to reach the nearest ID office. Studies show that as many as 11 percent of eligible voters do not have government-issued photo ID.

That percentage is even higher for seniors, people of color, people with disabilities, low-income voters, and students. Many citizens find it hard to get government photo IDs, because the underlying documentation like birth certificates the ID one needs to get ID is often difficult or expensive to come by.

Minority voters disproportionately lack ID. States exclude forms of ID in a discriminatory manner. Texas allows concealed weapons permits for voting, but does not accept student ID cards.

Voter ID laws are enforced in a discriminatory manner. Voter ID laws reduce turnout among minority voters. Several studies, including a GAO study, have found that photo ID laws have a particularly depressive effect on turnout among racial minorities and other vulnerable groups, worsening the participation gap between voters of color and whites. Although there is no statistical proof that this is, in fact, an issue about which the nation should be concerned, the vote fraud mantra is said so often, almost robotically, that some people have unthinkingly begun to believe that the issue is real.

But studies have shown that the actual instance of in person voter fraud is extremely rare. And this is very logical — the penalties associated with voter fraud, usually felonies, far outweigh the impact that an individual or group of people might effect. To truly impact an election would probably require substantial numbers of people somehow holding themselves out as voters that they are not - which would increase almost exponentially the exposure of the scheme.

No such widespread schemes have been detected. One expert found 31 cases out of more than one billion ballots cast in the United States form to Instead of ensuring the integrity of the voting process they actually do the opposite: by keeping certain groups of people away from the polls. Alabama requires voters to present photo ID while voting. A voter can obtain a free photo ID from the Alabama Secretary of State , a county registrar's office, or a mobile location, which changes daily.

The mobile location schedule can be accessed here. Voters in Alaska must present a valid form of identification at the polls. The identification does not have to include a photo. If an election official knows the identity of the voter, the official can waive the identification requirement unless it is a first-time voter who registered without providing identification. In Arizona, a voter must present some form of identification at the polls. The identification does not necessarily need to include a photo.

A voter can either present a photo ID that includes his or her name and registered address, or two forms of non-photo ID that include the voter's name and registered address. In some cases, people are working schedules that stop them from accessing the venues in which drivers license's could be obtained. Even other forms of required ID can be hard for many people to come by.

Voting is. Most states that pass voter ID laws create something called a free voter ID. Spoiler alert: these IDs are not actually free. In fact, they can get very expensive. Required documents can include a birth certificate, social security card, citizenship papers, proof of residency, and more. Many, many people do not have access to their birth certificates. The problem is even worse for Americans born in Puerto Rico, a territory which invalidated all birth certificates issued before in order to address identity theft issues.

Not having a birth certificate is common and getting a replacement can be difficult, expensive, or both. Most Americans do not live in cities with robust public transportation options, and even public transit can be expensive.

People in rural areas have an even more difficult time getting to their DMV, which may be miles away. Even more troublingly: some states, like Alabama , paired their new voter ID laws with the closure of DMVs in predominantly Black areas.

Overcome the very real fear of dealing with a bureaucracy that is traditionally hostile to low-income Americans and people of color. Voting should not require overcoming so many barriers. We have fought these battles before and won. If we work together, we can win them again, and make sure every American has not just the right, but also the ability, to vote.

If the fight over voter ID laws seems like bad news, it is. If we work together, we can help people obtain the IDs they need to vote. Only then can we get these laws repealed and ensure voting rights for everyone. If you live in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, or Texas, connect your group to Spread The Vote who can train you and provide funding and infrastructure to help you get IDs in your community. Focus on voter registration, education, and GOTV efforts.

Start talking to folks in your community early and go back often. Get to know their biggest issues and how voting, especially in local elections, can really affect their lives.

Rumor and fear are not legitimate reasons to change our election system. But they are powerful drivers to suppress voting. In the end, voter ID solves no problems, but it will suppress voter turnout over the nation and over time. This is a nationwide effort to limit voting. Remember, the right to vote supports all other rights. Because we oppose voter suppression, we oppose voter ID. Please join us.