Opinion

Political Columnist: Verifying the Vote

Anagha Nagesh and Naomi George

November 1, 2024

Pro-Voter ID

From 2000 to 2020, when trust in elections faltered due to ballot recounts and alleged fraud, the nation swayed on the brink of chaos. Today, with fears of such fraud on the rise, voter ID laws could be the modern solution to keep history from repeating itself. Though many claim they are divisive, voter ID requirements are sorely needed to eliminate the possibility of election fraud, thereby strengthening constituent trust in American democracy and unifying the American voter base.

Many who argue against Voter ID requirements cite that election fraud in itself is incredibly rare. While this notion is true, the fact remains that Americans believe that election fraud is real: according to the National Political Review, 60% of Americans are concerned about election fraud this November. Skepticism surrounding elections, one of the pillars of American democracy, erodes trust in the American political system. According to ABC News, when constituents do not trust the institutions that govern them, they are inclined to “take a risky gamble” and act violently. A prime example of this phenomenon is the January 6th insurrection, caused by distrust of the 2020 Presidential election, which resulted in five deaths, over 174 injuries, and over $2.7 million in damages to the capitol building, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. According to Forbes, 81% of Americans agree: by simply instituting a Voter ID requirement the government can restore trust in American democracy and prevent unnecessary violence.

Additionally, critics of Voter ID requirements claim that the law causes disenfranchisement and division; however, research shows that there is no such effect on turnout. According to the research paper “Strict ID Laws Don’t Stop Voters: Evidence from a U.S. Nationwide Panel, 2008–2018,” published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, voter ID laws do not negatively impact voter turnout or registration for any demographic groups. In fact, Voter ID laws caused the likelihood of non-White voters to be contacted by a political campaign to increase by 4.7 percentage points. This fact shows that Voter ID may actually enfranchise more voters by allowing them to engage further with their candidates and political system. In addition, while many see them as divisive, the trust that Voter ID requirements can re-establish in the American political system would help to bring Americans together under credible leaders and institutions. Therefore, while they are said to cause disenfranchisement, voter ID laws promote trust, community, and engagement with politics.

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Voter ID requirements reinforce trust in American democracy, therefore unifying constituents and preventing insurrection. In a time where political polarization divides the nation and paralyzes congress, Voter ID requirements can get Americans one step closer to a unified and productive democracy.

– Anagha Nagesh

Anti-Voter ID

The right to vote has been and continues to be a cornerstone of American democracy. Yet, only about 66% of Americans exercised this right during the last presidential election. Though voter turnout rates now are on average higher than in the past, they are limited in the scope of their growth by unnecessary legislation. Voter ID laws in particular serve to suppress voters by making the process of voting even more difficult, requiring certain types of identification that are not easily accessible for all demographics in order to vote.

Supporters of Voter ID laws claim that they protect the democratic process from fraud and non-citizen voting, preventing any illegal attempts to influence elections. While this is a valid concern, the reality is that voter fraud makes up an insignificantly small percentage of election results; according to the Brennan Center for Justice, meticulous studies of US elections have revealed that there is between a 0.0003 to 0.0025 percent chance of voter fraud occurring. In other words, “it is more likely that an American will be struck by lightning than that he will impersonate another voter at the polls.” Furthermore, Harvard’s Cooperative Election Study agreed with the Brennan Center, finding that the probability of non-citizens voting in an American election is essentially zero. The main argument for supporting Voter ID laws thus falls through; if the amount of fraud in our elections is already so miniscule, the presence of these laws serves no purpose and virtually no positive impact on American democracy.

But it is not just that Voter ID laws lack any positive impact on society—in which case the costly and time-consuming efforts of changing legislation would seem unjustified—these laws directly harm American citizens by imposing restrictions on voters that make the process of voting harder to complete. As it stands, thirty-six out of fifty US states currently have Voter ID laws in place. Yet, the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement found that around 21 million voting-age adults (about 9% of US citizens aged 18 or older) lack an unexpired driver’s license, the most common form of identification used at polling booths. A further 12% lack a valid driver’s license with their current name and address, which adds up to about 21% of the voting eligible population with barriers in their path to becoming voters in America. This is a significant blow to voter participation: 21% of the voting eligible population is more than enough to turn the tides of almost any presidential election in our nation’s history.

Some have attempted to explain this deficit in valid IDs by citing a general unwillingness to vote amongst the groups that lack them, but this is far from reality. Many marginalized communities in America disproportionately lack driver’s licenses, especially within certain racial/ethnic groups. For example, Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to lack up-to-date driver’s licenses than other racial groups: according to the same University of Maryland source, around 30% of Black Americans aged 18-29 do not possess a license at all. Furthermore, lower income and younger Americans (aged 18-29) are more likely to struggle with voting as well, since 31% of this population lacks ID or will face difficulties voting with it. The existence of Voter ID laws thus stands in the way of these groups exercising their ability to vote, which weakens their voices in national elections and detracts from issues facing their communities or problems they wish to be addressed. If such a significant percentage of these groups do not vote, the likelihood of their desired political agendas being carried out slims monumentally. This represents a direct slight to the idea of democracy; voter ID laws limiting the voices of specific groups means that our democracy fails at being as representative as possible.

Voter ID requirements suppress the voice of democracy in our nation by impeding the pathway of many to voting. These laws fail to have any positive effect in decreasing fraud in a country where election fraud is already rare enough and makes up an incredibly miniscule percentage of votes cast. Furthermore, there is clear evidence that the current imposition of Voter ID laws in 36 states is a direct deterrent to potential voters; it limits the voices of certain marginalized groups by making voting harder to access. Voter ID laws and the suppression of voters that occurs because of them go against the spirit of democracy our forefathers fought to establish.

– Naomi George

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About the Contributors

Anagha Nagesh, Assistant Editor

Anagha Nagesh is a current Opinion Assistant Editor and Political Columnist who joined the Hawkeye team in 2023 and editorial team in May 2024. Here at JP, she participates in Mock Trial, Theatre, Choir, Improv, Winter Cheerleading, and Research. Outside of school, she likes to swim, travel, and listen to Kanye.

Naomi George, Staff Writer

Naomi George is a current staff writer and joined the Hawkeye team in 2023. At JP, she participates in the track and cross country programs. Outside of school, she enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with her friends.