This is a Civics 101 story from CNY Decides, a collaborative podcast between the award winning newsrooms of WAER and Central Current.
Currently, the debate over requiring voter identification in future elections has stalled in the U.S. Senate. The House passed the resolution (HR 7296) in early February, but it faces ongoing debate and appears to be too contentious for more seasoned conservatives to take up the topic.
Today, 37 states require some form of voter ID at the polls, but the history of voter ID laws dates back to the 1950s.
Back then, voter ID laws were used to suppress voting among minority groups. States, rather than the federal government, now control most election laws.
“Voter ID laws have really varied a lot, which is compounded by the fact that the vast majority of voter ID laws are at the state level, because states are generally in control of elections in the United States,” said Syracuse University political science professor Mark Brockway.
In 2012, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) promoted stricter voter ID laws ahead of the presidential election. Critics argued that these laws could make voting more difficult for certain groups of people.
Despite the criticism, ALEC continues to support voter ID requirements. Katherine Bennett, ALEC’s director of the Center for State Fiscal Reform, said the organization believes voter ID is a common-sense measure that helps maintain confidence in elections.
“And this is an area where we think that the general public should have complete confidence that the election process is fair and secure, and valid voter identification is a simple step,” Bennett said.
Bennett compared voter identification requirements to other situations where photo ID is commonly required.
“You need a photo ID to pick up medication from a pharmacy in a lot of cases. You need a photo ID to buy a beer. You need a photo ID to get your SNAP benefits and food stamps. So in today’s day and age, the need for a photo ID is not exclusive to something like voting.”
However, the legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group disagrees with that comparison. He argued that voting is a constitutional right in New York state, while activities like buying alcohol are not.
“If you have a constitutional right to do anything, the obstacles to doing it should be few and far between,” Horner said.
New York currently does not require voters to show photo identification at the polls unless they are first-time voters who did not provide identification when registering.
If the Save America Act passes as a federal mandate, the only solo IDs allowed to prove a person has the right to vote would be a U.S. passport or passport card, or a modern Naturalization Certificate with a photo embedded. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad or CRBA is also allowed, although it does not have a photo embedded.
Individuals who married and legally changed their name, must also provide a marriage certificate to answer questions about inconsistencies from their given name.
