Voter ID requirements certainly get people excited. Democrats (mostly) fight them, arguing that they reduce access to the polls. Republicans fight for them, under the guise of reducing voter fraud. I’m coming to understand, however, that neither side really has any solid data to back their claims and theories up. So this Slate story covering the findings of a university consortium study on the matter (the Cooperative Congressional Election Study) makes for interesting reading. Some specific findings:
- half of the survey respondents said they were required to present photo ID, even though in 2006 the laws in only Indiana and Florida required this of all voters
- poll workers asked for such identification very frequently in the South (65 percent) and rarely in the Northeast (22 percent)
- just 23 people in the entire sample—less than one-tenth of 1 percent of reported voters—said that they were asked for photo identification and were then not allowed to vote
- African-Americans were asked to present photo ID more often than whites—54 percent of the time versus 46 percent
These are all interesting – if somewhat inconclusive – findings, and I recommend the whole article (and hey, Waldo, maybe you can put that Edward Tufte education to good use!). The author really draws only one conclusion at the end, one my experience as a volunteer voter protection attorney bears out:
To return to the finding that half of survey respondents said they were required to present photo ID despite the rarity of relevant state laws, this result is instructive because of what it suggests about how rules are not followed. Both sides of the voter-fraud debate assume that registration requirements matter because poll workers will apply them as instructed. In truth, this country continues to rely on barely trained volunteers to administer the actual process of voting. Any plan to combat fraud or increase access, let alone upgrade voting technology, must take into account that it will be administered largely by amateurs.
Something to consider next time we engage each other on this subject.
Alton Foley
As a “volunteer voter protection attorney” would you care to explain to your readers that they have no constitutional right to vote in a Presidential election?
MB
Would be happy to do that, and then encourage them to pressure their Congressional reps (except for you DC people) to trash the electoral college.
But what’s the point you’re trying to make?