These provisions were in place to stop racially discriminatory laws from being passed at the state level to curtail voting rights. Just two hours after the Supreme Court decision, the state of Texas passed the first version of a new voter ID law, which allowed citizens to vote with a concealed-carry gun permit, but not with a student ID card.
As of this writing, 34 states have voter ID laws on the books, and 20 of those states require government-issued photo ID with limited or no alternatives. And, for many, these IDs are very difficult to secure. People have fought and died for the right to vote. Voter ID laws prevent people from exercising this right. Lack of access to ID cards impacts people even in states without voter ID laws.
Accessing a photo ID is much more challenging for the young, the elderly, people of color, and people with low incomes. If you care about voter participation and making an impact at the polls in your district, getting IDs can not only change the electorate, but changes lives. Voter ID laws are laws that say that a voter must show some form of identification to be able to vote. The exact form of ID necessary to vote varies from state to state.
Those who advocate for voter ID laws claim they prevent in-person voter fraud, but this is a myth. In person voter fraud is extremely rare. In a study , only 31 cases were found out of more than 1 billion ballots cast in elections from And those 31 included any and all credible claims, not just prosecutions and convictions.
In reality, voter ID laws are a powerful form of voter suppression. Much like poll taxes and literacy tests of the Jim Crow days, these laws are created to prevent specifically targeted populations from voting. Voter ID laws target eligible voters who are less likely to have IDs. What voter ID laws does their state currently have in place?
If their state requires a voter ID, what form of ID does it require? If no ID is required, must citizens provide a different proof of identity?
Non-Strict states require voters to provide something other than an ID. For example, a person may have to sign a statement attesting to their identity and eligibility to vote. Was it challenged in the past? Was the law upheld or struck down? Four article choices are included in the resources section above. Next, they should write down as bullet points the evidence and sub-arguments the author uses to establish his or her position.
What kinds of evidence do these authors use? Some examples of different types of evidence include statistics, case law, and historical examples. Which argument do students think is more convincing and why? Organize a debate in class. Have six student volunteers randomly draw slips. Match each student with an opposite student to debate. Is it really too much to ask for ID when it comes to exercising something as important as the right to vote? Photo IDs have become ubiquitous and unavoidable.
Photo ID requirements are a reasonable way to secure our elections. Three arguments against voter identification laws are that voter identification laws are a burden for many voters, that voter identification laws target minorities, and that in-person voter fraud is rare. A article on the Brennan Center for Justice website stated the following:. The evidence is clear: identification requirements for voting reduce turnout among low-income and minority voters.
And the particular restrictions imposed by Republican lawmakers—limiting the acceptable forms of identification, ending opportunities for student voting, reducing hours for early voting—certainly do appear aimed at Democratic voters.
One could spend hours going through the abundant evidence that these laws are meant to discourage Democratic voting with burdens that harm blacks, Latinos, and other disproportionately low-income groups.
In a Washington Post column titled "A comprehensive investigation of voter impersonation finds 31 credible incidents out of one billion ballots cast," law professor Justin Levitt wrote the following:. Election fraud happens. Or vote buying. Or coercion. Or fake registration forms. 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.
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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. NOTE: Implementation was to begin in , though the law was struck down in Any of the following that is valid and unexpired, or has been expired for one year or less and contain a photo:.
Any of the following, regardless of whether the ID contains an expiration or issuance date with photo :. North Dakota. If an individual is not able to show a valid form of identification but asserts qualifications as an elector in the precinct in which the individual desires to vote, the individual may mark a ballot that must be securely set aside in a sealed envelope designed by the secretary of state.
After the ballot is set aside, the individual may show a valid form of identification to either a polling place election board member if the individual returns to the polling place before the polls close, or to an employee of the office of the election official responsible for the administration of the election before the meeting of the canvassing board occurring on the sixth day after the election.
Each ballot set aside under this subsection must be presented to the members of the canvassing board for proper inclusion or exclusion from the tally. The following forms of identification are valid for individuals living under special circumstances who do not possess a valid form of identification:. A voter who has but declines to provide identification may cast a provisional ballot upon providing a Social Security number or the last four digits of a Social Security number.
A voter who has neither identification nor a Social Security number may execute an affidavit to that effect and vote a provisional ballot. A voter who declines to sign the affidavit may still vote a provisional ballot. Voters who cast a provisional ballot because they did not provide acceptable proof of identity must appear in person at the board of elections to provide such proof within the 10 days immediately following Election Day.
A voter registration card issued by the appropriate county elections board may serve as proof of identity without meeting all of the above requirements. A provisional ballot cast by a voter who declines or is unable to produce proof of identity shall only be considered verified and approved for counting if the voter's name, residence address, date of birth, and driver's license number or last four digits of Social Security number as provided on the affidavit match what is in the registration database.
Rhode Island. A valid unexpired or expired within the last 6 months document showing a photo of the person to whom it was issued, including:. If the person claiming to be a registered and eligible voter is unable to provide proof of identity as required, the person shall be allowed to vote a provisional ballot pursuant to section The local board shall determine the validity of the provisional ballot pursuant to section Summary of section If the signatures match, the provisional ballot shall count.
If the signatures do not match, the ballot shall not count and shall be rejected as illegal. South Carolina. Voters who have a reasonable impediment to obtaining photo ID may show a non-photo voter registration card in lieu of photo ID, sign an affidavit attesting to the impediment, and cast a provisional ballot. From the State Election Commission's web site :. If you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining photo ID, you may vote a provisional ballot after showing your nonphoto voter registration card.
A reasonable impediment is any valid reason, beyond your control, which created an obstacle to obtaining photo ID. Some examples include:. If you do NOT have photo ID and do NOT have a reasonable impediment to obtaining one, or you simply forgot to bring it with you to the polls, you may still vote a provisional ballot. However, for your vote to be counted, you must provide one of the photo IDs to the county election commission prior to certification of the election usually Thursday or Friday after the election.
South Dakota. If a voter is not able to present a form of personal identification as required, the voter may complete an affidavit in lieu of the personal identification. The affidavit shall require the voter to provide his or her name and address. The voter shall sign the affidavit under penalty of perjury. If a voter is unable to present the proper evidence of identification, then the voter will be entitled to vote by provisional ballot in the manner detailed in the bill.
The provisional ballot will only be counted if the voter provides the proper evidence of identification to the administrator of elections or the administrator's designee by the close of business on the second business day after the election. However, "A voter who is indigent and unable to obtain proof of identification without payment of a fee or who has a religious objection to being photographed shall be required to execute an affidavit of identity on a form provided by the county election commission and then shall be allowed to vote.
With the exception of the U. Supporting forms of ID that can be presented if the voter does not possess one of the forms of acceptable photo ID and cannot obtain one due to a reasonable impediment:. After presenting a supporting form of ID, the voter must execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. If a voter possesses an acceptable form of photo ID but does not have it at the polling place, the voter will still be permitted to vote provisionally.
Voters with a disability who do not have an acceptable form of photo ID may also apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption. Except for first time voters covered by HAVA, any voter who does not show one of the forms of ID specified shall be allowed to vote a regular ballot after signing a statement under penalty of perjury verifying their identity.
A voter who does not show ID or sign a statement shall be offered a provisional ballot. However, county auditors are required to open at least one vote center where voters can cast a ballot in person, and the ID requirement spelled out here applies to those voters.
The county auditor shall require any person desiring to vote at a voting center to either sign a ballot declaration generally in locations where ballots are scanned or provide identification generally in counties where voting is done electronically, although even in these counties the auditor can verify a voter's signature to a signature on record.
Any individual who desires to vote in person but cannot provide identification shall be issued a provisional ballot, which shall be accepted if the signature on the declaration matches the signature on the voter's registration record. West Virginia. If the person desiring to vote is unable to furnish a valid identifying document, or if the poll clerk determines that the proof of identification presented by the voter does not qualify as a valid identifying document, the person desiring to vote shall be permitted to cast a provisional ballot after executing an affidavit affirming his or her identity.
If the ID presented is not proof of residence, the elector shall also present proof of residence. An elector who appears to vote at a polling place and does not have statutory ID shall be offered the opportunity to vote a provisional ballot. An elector who votes a provisional ballot may furnish statutory ID to the election inspectors before the polls close or to the municipal clerk no later than 4pm on the Friday following Election Day.
An elector who votes a provisional ballot must furnish statutory ID to the county clerk by the close of business on the day following the election. Create Account. Strict Photo ID. S interactive map Hover a state to learn more about voter ID laws. Alabama Photo ID requested If no ID is presented, 2 election officials can sign an affidavit attesting to the voter's identity; otherwise the voter votes on a provisional ballot and must resturn to show an ID within 4 days.
California No document required to vote. Connecticut ID Requested; Photo Not Required If ID is not presented, a voter provides name, date of birth, and address, and signs under penalty of making a false statement. Florida Photo ID requested If ID is not presented, the voter votes on a provisional ballot and election officials compare the signature on it to a signature on record.
Hawaii ID requested; photo not required If ID is not presented, the voter recites date of birth and address for corroboration. Illinois No document required to vote. Indiana Strict Photo ID If ID is not presented, the voter votes on a provisional ballot and must return within 6 days to show an ID or sign an affidavit swearing to indigence or a religious objection. Iowa ID requested; photo not required.
Louisiana Photo ID requested If ID is not presented, the voter signs an affidavit and provides date of birth and other information from the poll book.
Maine No document required to vote. Maryland No document required to vote. Massachusetts No document required to vote. Minnesota No document required to vote Strict voter ID was turned down by voters in Mississippi Strict Photo ID If ID is not presented, the voter votes on a provisional ballot and must return within 5 days to show ID or sign an affidavit attesting to a religious objection to being photographed. Montana ID Requested; Photo Not Required If ID is not presented, the voter votes on a provisional ballot and the signature on the ballot envelope is matched to the voter's signature on record.
Nebraska No document required to vote. Nevada No document required to vote. New Hampshire If ID is not presented, the voter signs a challenged voter affidavit and votes a regular ballot. New Jersey No document required to vote.
New Mexico No document required to vote. New York No document required to vote.
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