Voter ID laws stop widespread fraud
Documented voter impersonation fraud, the specific crime that voter ID laws address, is extremely rare. The Brennan Center documented 31 credible cases out of 1 billion ballots cast from 2000-2014. The Supreme Court upheld Indiana's voter ID law in Crawford v. Marion County but found no documented instance of actual fraud it would have prevented.
What we know
Voter ID laws are politically contested policy. The empirical question at issue is whether voter impersonation, the specific problem they address, is prevalent enough to justify the laws' costs. The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law has documented that voter impersonation fraud occurs at a rate of 0.0003% to 0.0025% of ballots cast. Their research identified 31 credible cases of voter impersonation out of approximately 1 billion ballots cast in elections from 2000 to 2014.
In Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (2008), the Supreme Court upheld Indiana's photo ID requirement by a 6-3 vote. Justice Stevens, writing for the lead opinion, acknowledged that the state had failed to produce a single instance of actual in-person voter impersonation fraud that the law would have prevented in Indiana's history, but found the state's interest in election integrity sufficient to justify the burden. This remains the controlling legal precedent in the United States.
Critics of voter ID laws cite studies suggesting they reduce turnout among eligible voters, particularly among minority groups, low-income voters, and elderly voters, who are less likely to possess qualifying photo ID. Proponents argue that ID requirements increase public confidence in elections and that obtaining ID is not an undue burden. The debate is genuinely contested on both policy grounds and empirical evidence, making this a 'mixed' finding rather than a clear false claim.
Common claims
- Voter impersonation fraud is widespread and requires ID laws to addressNot supported. The Brennan Center documented 31 credible impersonation cases out of 1 billion ballots over 14 years.
- Voter ID laws are unconstitutionalFalse. The Supreme Court upheld Indiana's voter ID law in Crawford v. Marion County (2008) in a 6-3 ruling.
- Voter ID laws have no effect on legitimate voter turnoutContested. Multiple studies find reduced turnout among eligible voters without qualifying ID, particularly minority and low-income voters.