At least five states have recently or are currently facing lawsuits regarding voter ID requirements. Voter ID laws are largely popular among U.S. citizens, according to recent polls, but voting rights groups argue that such measures are discriminatory. In Ohio, for example, challengers against voter ID laws have said in court papers that the laws make it “significantly harder for lawful voters—particularly young, elderly, and Black Ohioans, as well as military servicemembers and other Ohioans living abroad” to exercise their right to vote.
A July poll by the Honest Elections Project found that 88% of registered voters support photo ID requirements for voting.
Only 9% say such requirements should be eliminated because some voters may lack an ID. A total of 80% of respondents preferred that free IDs be offered to voters who do not have one, which states with voter ID requirements already do.
Similarly, an October 2022 Gallup poll found that 79% of Americans support requiring a photo ID to vote at polling places.
As the election integrity measure is popular among voters, a majority of states have enacted voter ID legislation.
According to an analysis by the Movement Advancement Project:
- 11 states require photo ID to vote and have additional steps that are required if the voter doesn’t have an ID;
- Four states require non-photo ID and have additional steps that are required if the voter doesn’t have an ID;
- 13 states request photo ID but do not have additional steps that a voter has to go through if they don’t have the ID; and
- 22 states and Washington, D.C., don’t request ID or request non-photo ID without having additional steps for a voter to complete if they don’t have the ID.
Lawsuits brought against voter ID legislation argue that the election integrity measure makes voting more difficult and discriminates against minority voters. The Elias Law Group filed a lawsuit this year against Ohio state and county officials regarding the state’s new voter ID law that argued that the legislation “will severely restrict Ohioans’ access to the polls.”
However, Derek Lyons, President and CEO of Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE), whose organization supports voter ID laws and is involved in the Ohio lawsuit, argues that voter ID is beneficial.
“Ohio is well within its rights to protect its ballot box reforms like voter ID serve the public’s need for accurate and unbiased election administration,” Lyons said in a statement last month. “The new rules also support a quick and accurate counting of the votes, giving Ohioans even more reasons to have confidence in their elections. The Supreme Court has already weighed in support of similar integrity measures, and we are asking the district court to halt this case, stop these efforts to undermine election integrity, and prevent further waste of the public’s resources.”
