3 Important Things to Know about Voter Identification 

Voting is a right and a privilege, and it’s a well-known fact that the more accessible it is to vote, the more likely it is that voters will turn out on Election Day.  

Why, then, do politicians insist on trying to make voting harder? 

Your identification is already checked when you register to vote, and again the first time you vote at your polling location.  

Politicians talk up phantom threats of in-person voter impersonation, even though the evidence overwhelmingly shows our elections are secure.

Though in theory it may be popular, in practice voter identification is another unnecessary barrier to the ballot box. 

Here are some things you should know about voter ID: 

#1.  Voter ID doesn’t solve a problem.  

Despite years of allegations, no evidence has ever been found of a widespread problem with people impersonating other voters at the polling place. These incidents are sporadic, identified quickly, and addressed appropriately within the system that already exists to address these issues.  

In fact, even the Heritage Foundation found only 36 instances of potential electoral misconduct out of millions of votes cast in the past 40 years in Pennsylvania. Of those, only three cases involved in-person voter impersonation.  

While Pennsylvania’s elections are safe and secure, there are improvements that could help make sure that all voters can have their voices heard. But rather than focusing on bringing early voting and same day voter registration to Pennsylvania or helping counties count mail ballots faster, some legislators are focused on fixing problems that don’t exist.  

 #2. Voter ID creates more problems than it solves.

Voter ID puts up obstacles to the ballot box by requiring people to bring additional documents with them to vote. For people with a driver’s license or passport, this is an easy solution, but there are millions of Americans – particularly young adults and people who have lower incomes – who don’t possess and don’t have the means to get either of those documents.1 

People in lower income families and adults with disabilities may not have access to other forms of identification, either. There are some Americans who have no bank accounts and no utilities in their names. People experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to stricter voter ID laws, as well.  

Among others who could be disenfranchised are:  

• people, particularly married women, who’ve recently changed their names. 

• people who’ve moved shortly before an election could also be disenfranchised if they haven’t had time to update their addresses on documents like drivers’ licenses. 

• younger adults (those aged 18 to 26, and especially students who live on campus and have no need for drivers’ licenses) also tend to not have the types of identification many states require for voting. 

• older adults who no longer drive and no longer have drivers’ licenses would need to find alternative forms of identification to vote.   

For voters with limited resources, tracking down the necessary documents to be able to exercise their right to vote can discourage them from participating in our democracy. Not everyone has or needs a drivers’ license. In fact, a 2024 public survey found that nearly 21 million voting-age U.S. citizens do not have a current non-expired driver’s license.2  

Restrictive voter identification laws could impact anyone at any time.  

#3. Voter ID laws cause voter confusion leading to disenfranchisement.  

Another potential barrier to the ballot box is voter confusion. No matter how a voter ID law is implemented, many voters won’t even know about it until it’s too late. One only needs to look back to the 2020 election in Pennsylvania to understand how difficult it can be to get the message out to the public about drastic changes to election laws.  

That year, in addition to dealing with (and likely as a response to) the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Pennsylvania voters opted to vote by mail without an excuse, the first year they were able to do so. Unfortunately, thousands of ballots were invalidated because voters made simple mistakes due to not knowing the law. 

Similar problems occur in states with stricter voter ID laws. A Pew Research study found that over half of Americans who live in states requiring photo identification are unaware of their states’ laws. The same study showed that even voters who live in states without photo ID laws don’t understand their state’s requirements.3  

Another study – this one looking at the effect of North Carolina’s voter ID law – suggested that voter identification laws discouraged voter turnout even after the law had been deemed unconstitutional.4  

 The bottom line is this: voter identification is an unnecessary hurdle for voters that doesn’t address any real-world problems.  Instead, it creates burdens for voters and for poll workers for no reason.  

[1] Rothschild, J. A., Novey, S., & Hanmer, M. “Who Lacks ID in America Today? An Exploration of Voter ID Access, Barriers, and Knowledge” Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (January 2024) https://cdce.umd.edu/sites/cdce.umd.edu/files/pubs/Voter%20ID%202023%20survey%20Key%20Results%20Jan%202024%20%281%29.pdf

[2] Rosthschild, Novey and Hanmer, “Who Lacks ID in America Today?” https://cdce.umd.edu/sites/cdce.umd.edu/files/pubs/Voter%20ID%202023%20survey%20Key%20Results%20Jan%202024%20%281%29.pdf

[3]  Jones, B. (2016) 2016 Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/10/24/many-americans-unaware-of-their-states-voter-id-laws/

[4] Grimmer, J. and Yoder, J. “The durable differential deterrent effects of strict photo identification laws.” Cambridge University Press (2021) https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/political-science-research-and-methods/article/abs/durable-differential-deterrent-effects-of-strict-photo-identification-laws/E97B3308FDA75972A6374EDCD26333BF