Arguments Against Voter ID Laws

Voter ID Laws and their Impact on Turnout

Voter ID laws requiring a voter to show an acceptable photo of ID if they intend to take part in elections are not new in America. Many states like Texas and Wisconsin enacted the law immediately after the US Supreme Court ruling which changed a significant provision in the 1965 Voting Rights Act.\u00a0 Election reform is good especially if they are put in place to ensure genuineness and exactness of the polls. However, the arguments that photo ID will ensure there is no fraud is not enough evidence to support the amendment.<\/p>

Effect on Voter Turnout

Voter ID laws will affect the turnout of voters. These laws will deter people from showing up for elections, or the people who show up without the ID will be disqualified for voting (Highton 153). Although it is difficult to estimate the exact factors that led to lower turn out of voters in Wisconsin in 2016 as compared to 2012, it is speculated that Voter ID laws were amongst the reasons. The primary goal of election is to promote democracy, and the results show the voice of the people; however, if the laws will prevent a significant percentage of voters from voting, then they should not be enacted.<\/p>

Disproportionate Impact on Minority Groups

The right to vote is entitled to every American and hence to every member of the state of New York. Voter ID laws will take that right away from many Americans and mostly the minority groups (Hajnal et al., 24). According to Hobby et al., 11.4 % of people who voted with ID in Texas were black while 19.8 % were Latin. Consequently, 16.1 %\u00a0 and 20.7%\u00a0 of those without ID were black and Latino. In states where there is strict enforcement of the laws, this means that a significant number of blacks and Latino would not have exercised their rights to vote. Additionally, these laws will affect older voters significantly. In conclusions, limitation of these laws is far much higher than the benefits, and therefore New York State should not enact them.<\/p>

Works Cited

Highton, Benjamin. “Voter identification laws and turnout in the United States.”Annual Review of Political Science 20 (2017): 149-167.

Hajnal, Zoltan, John Kuk, and Nazita Lajevardi. “We All Agree: Strict Voter ID Laws Disproportionately Burden Minorities.”The Journal of Politics

80.3 (2018).

Hobby, Governor Bill, et al. “The Texas Voter ID Law and the 2014 Election.”(2016). Print.