Voter IDs should NOT be Necessary to Vote

1. Voter IDs should NOT be Necessary to Vote By: Alex Kahn, Molly Willner-Giwerc, and Susanna Kvam

2. Basic Information • In States that Require ID to Vote: One must show a drivers license and if not, then another form of ID such as: • License bureau issue to non-drivers, a utility bill, a paycheck, military ID or any other piece of information that might include a picture, date of birth, home address or signature • Those who lack the acceptable ID must in every state be allowed to sign an affidavit and cast a provisional ballot that is counted later, after the voter’s eligibility is confirmed • However, there is no proof that votes are eventually casts, major discrimination against voters without IDs

3. The Cost of Providing Voter’s IDs • These photo ID requirements are costly and being proposed while states are slashing government jobs and vital funding to important programs in education to make ends meet. • Missouri = $20 millionto implement over the next three years • North Carolina = $14 million or more over three years to educate its 6 million voters about voter ID law • Wisconsin =its photo ID bill would cost over $2.7 million dollarsto supply free identification cards, $61,680 in new systems for the Department of Transportation to issue free IDs, and $2.1 million in public education and training costs.

4. Voting Frauds?? • Proponents of photo voter identification raise the specter of voter fraud to justify these laws which may disfranchise millions of voters yet do not specifically point to any voter impersonation fraud, the only fraud that these laws address. • There may be evidence of isolated instances of alleged voter fraud, but no substantial convictions. • Laws already in place to punish voter fraud are sufficiently severe to deter potential criminals. • In the 23 states and DC that allow voters to show both photo and non-photo IDs – such as a utility bill and bank statement – there is no evidence that voter impersonation fraud is occurring. • The voter fraud stories come from selective storytelling, logical fallacies, repetition, and propaganda/media attention

5. Common Errors that may be Mistaken for Voter Fraud • Clerical or Typographical Errors • Errors in the Poll Books • Errors in Registration Record

6. 2008 General Election Statistics • National Voter Turnout: 61.6% • Georgia Voter Turnout: 62.6% • Indiana Voter Turnout: 59.1% • Kansas Voter Turnout: 62.0% • Pennsylvania Voter Turnout: 63.6% • Tennessee Voter Turnout: 57.0%

7. Interesting Statistics… • United States 72.4% white • Indiana 81.5% white • Tennessee 75.6% white • Kansas 78.2% white • Pennsylvania 79.5% white • Georgia has voted for the Republican candidate in six out of the last seven elections • Indiana: not one recorded case of voter fraud

8. “That’s like a poll tax and sends this country back decades ago when it comes to civil rights.” -Ruthelle Frank • Poll taxes and literacy tests were once used to stop African Americans from voting in elections especially in the South • The comparison can be drawn that the requirement of having a government issued photo ID is no different • Transcending the issue of race, this requirement is discriminatory to especially those living in poverty as well as students and senior citizens.

9. Anthony Sharp “You shouldn’t have to pay all this money to be able to vote,” he said. “I’m a citizen and was excited about voting, but I don’t have the money to pay for all these documents. Every American must be able to vote, not just those who can afford to get an ID.”

10. These are American Citizens being denied their basic democratic right to vote.