Research Suggests Trump and His Opponents Are Both Wrong About the Impact of Voter ID Requirements
A news analysis from Reason.com examines the debate over voter ID requirements, focusing on President Trump's push for the SAVE America Act, which would mandate photo ID for federal elections. The article notes that while Trump claims voter ID is needed to prevent widespread noncitizen voting (a claim unsupported by evidence), Democratic critics argue such laws disproportionately disenfranchise minority, elderly, and low-income voters. However, research, including a 2014 Government Accountability Office report, shows mixed results: some studies found no statistically significant effect on turnout, others found decreases, and one found an increase. The GAO's own analysis of Kansas and Tennessee found turnout declined more in those states compared to others without ID laws. The article concludes that both partisan expectations about the electoral impact of voter ID laws are not strongly supported by evidence.
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