Voter ID & Registration News

The Daily Signal examines the state-by-state debates over voter ID requirements, registration rules, and election integrity.
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  • New Study Confirms Voter ID Laws Don’t Hurt Election Turnout

    Less than one week after Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams made inflammatory claims in her State of the Union response about an epidemic of “voter suppression” jeopardizing the character of our nation, the National Bureau of Economic Research released a study that demonstrates once again that voter ID laws have no measurable impact on voting behavior.  In…
    Caleb Morrison
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  • New Study: Voter ID Laws Don’t Deter Turnout or Fraud

    Yet another study has found that voter ID laws do not suppress voter turnout, but the study also asserted such laws have no clear effect on stopping voter fraud. The study was compiled by two professors, Vincent Pons of Harvard University Business School and Enrico Cantoni of the economics department at the University of Bologna…
    Fred Lucas
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  • Swing State Governor Aims to Repeal Voter ID Requirement

    Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday announced proposed legislation to repeal the state’s requirement that voters show photo ID. “Participation makes our democracy strong—we should encourage every eligible voter to exercise this fundamental right, rather than creating unnecessary barriers that make getting to the ballot box difficult,” Northam, a Democrat, said in a statement. Delegate Kaye…
    Luke Rosiak
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  • Errant Phone Message Is a ‘Text’-Book Case for Voter ID Laws

    I got an alarming text message a few weeks ago from an Ohio phone number I didn’t recognize. Someone—or perhaps some robot—named Caity, from a group called Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, had an urgent message for me: “[V]oter suppression & purging is at an all-time high in Ohio,” the text read in part….
    Jason Snead
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  • The Latest Absurd Claim From Left: Requiring Voter Registration Is ‘Voter Suppression’ Tool

    As Election Day rapidly approaches, the radical Left is making yet another absurd claim: that requiring voter registration is a “voter suppression” tool. Registration is essential to assure the integrity of elections. It allows election officials to verify the eligibility and identity of voters. It also enables them to make sure they will have enough ballots…
    Hans von Spakovsky
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  • Judge Strikes Down Kansas ‘Show Me Your Papers’ Voter ID Law

    A federal judge in Kansas City struck down a state law Monday requiring Kansas voters to show proof of citizenship before casting ballots. U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson, a George W. Bush appointee, found the statute unlawfully burdens ballot access for eligible voters, in violation of the National Voter Registration Act and the Constitution. “The court determines…
    Kevin Daley
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  • Judge Upholds Alabama Voter ID Law in Win for Common Sense

    A federal judge in Alabama has thrown out a lawsuit against the state’s voter ID law, finding that the law doesn’t prevent anyone from voting because “nearly the entire population of registered voters in Alabama already possess a photo ID that can be used for voting.” For those who don’t, obtaining a qualifying ID can…
    Hans von Spakovsky
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  • States Spurning Election Commission Show Irregularities in Voter Registration

    Many of the states refusing to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s election commission aren’t in compliance with federal law on maintaining voter registration lists, according to government watchdog groups. So far, 18 states and the District of Columbia have declined or are still considering whether to provide election data to the Presidential Advisory Commission on…
    Fred Lucas
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  • Texas’ Voter ID Law Is Back in Force. Here’s Why That’s Such a Big Deal.

    Last week, Christian Adams and I reported on the latest mistaken decision by federal District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, who threw out—for the fifth time—Texas’ amended voter ID law. Texas immediately appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and requested a stay of Ramos’ decision. On Tuesday, in a 2-1 vote, a…
    Hans von Spakovsky
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  • A Biased Judge Tosses a Texas Voter ID Law, Again

    Some judges are determined to strike down election integrity laws, no matter what. How else can you explain last week’s irrational decision handed down by federal District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos? A President Barack Obama appointee, Ramos is at least consistent. This was the fifth time she has rejected a voter ID law for…
    Hans von Spakovsky
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  • Supreme Court Refuses to Hear North Carolina’s Voter ID Appeal. Here’s Why It’s Not a Big Deal.

    On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up an appeal filed by the North Carolina Legislature in response to the three-judge panel striking down its state voter ID law and other election reforms. No one should read anything substantive into this. As Chief Justice John Roberts wrote Monday in a two-page supplement to…
    Hans von Spakovsky
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  • Supreme Court Won’t Revive North Carolina’s Voter ID Law

    The Supreme Court declined to review a ruling that struck down North Carolina’s voter ID law Monday, dealing a blow to ballot integrity measures around the country. The law, adopted days after the Supreme Court effectively struck down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, requires voters to present a government-issued…
    Paul Runko
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  • Voter ID’s Suppression of Minority Turnout Not Proven, Study Says

    A new study by professors from Yale, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania challenges the notion that voter ID laws disproportionately affect minorities. “For a perfect example of the term ‘alternate facts,’ look no further,” @LCChurchwell says. The new study finds “no definitive relationship” between tough laws requiring voters to present identification and a dropoff in…
    Fred Lucas
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  • Cartoon: Different Views on Voter ID

    Michael Ramirez
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  • A Simple, 3-Step Approach to Defending Voter ID Laws

    With 56 days to go until the election, you can bet voter identification requirements will increasingly be a major topic of conversation. Just this past weekend, a federal appeals court overturned proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration in three states. As voters prepare to head to the booths in just a few short weeks, the debate…
    Beverly Hallberg
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  • Hacking of Election Data Raises Concerns for States Without Voter ID

    Hacking incidents at voter registration systems in Arizona and Illinois could demonstrate the need for stronger voter identification laws and the flaw with pushing for online voting and registration, experts said. “We can’t afford this vulnerability in our election systems,” Mark Meckler, president of Citizens for Self-Governance and a former internet technology lawyer, told The Daily…
    Fred Lucas
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  • Amid Voter ID Battles, Here Are 7 Things the Government Requires IDs For

    As federal courts wrestle with voter ID laws in several states just months before a national election, there is considerably less attention being brought to other constitutional rights that require ID. Proponents of voter ID have argued that retailers require ID to buy liquor, M-rated video games, prescriptions, or even nail polish. But these arguments aren’t…
    Fred Lucas
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  • The Leftist Lunacy of Opposing Voter ID

    Michael Ramirez
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  • After Voter ID Defeats, Lessons From Indiana’s Law That ‘Has Stood Test of Time’

    As courts over the last few weeks dealt a series of blows to voter identification laws in states across the country, Indiana’s Secretary of State Connie Lawson was feeling fortunate. More than a decade ago, before it was the rage to do so, Lawson, then a Republican state legislator, co-sponsored a bill in the name…
    Josh Siegel
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  • Two Legislators Indicted for Voter ID Bribes in Case Attorney General Refused to Prosecute

    A grand jury convened by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams has indicted two Democratic state legislators for accepting bribes in exchange for voting against a voter ID bill, among other legislative actions. The grand jury findings also represent a withering rejection of the unjustifiable behavior of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, who shut down the…
    Hans von Spakovsky
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