Commentary

The Link Between Voter Fraud and Restrictive ID

This is a partial list of commentaries and editorials regarding the link between alleged voter fraud and the push for restrictive voter identification.

These pieces agree that there is little voter fraud that would be prevented by restrictive identification rules at the polls:

• Voter ID: Court Ruling Returns Sanity to Debate (Editorial, The Clarion-Ledger (Miss.), 5/30/08)
• Don’t Tune Out Voters (Editorial, The Dispatch (Moline, Ill.), 5/22/08)
• Good Reasons to Reject Voter ID (State Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, The Oklahoman, 5/21/08)
• Personal IDs Deter Voters (Editorial, Erie Times-News, 5/18/08)
• Voter Fraud Issue Isn’t Just Photo ID (Editorial, San Antonio Express-News, 5/16/08)
• Forget Voter ID (Editorial, Reno News & Review, 5/15/08)
• Requiring Potential Voters to Show Proof of Citizenship Discourages Voting (Editorial, Orlando Sentinel, 5/14/08)
• In Our View: Photo ID Not Needed (Editorial, Joplin Globe (Mo.), 5/14/08)
• The Myth of Voter Fraud (Editorial, N.Y. Times, 5/13/08)
• Oklahomans Don’t Need New Barriers to Voting (Editorial, Norman Transcript (Okla.), 5/10/08)
• Voter ID Ruling A Disservice to Too Many People (Editorial, Ashville Citizen-Times, 4/30/08)
• Closing Ballot Access (Editorial, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 4/30/08)
• Voter ID Law in Search of a Problem (Editorial, Wichita Eagle, 4/30/08)
• The New Poll Tax (Editorial, Rutland Herald (Vt.), 4/30/08)
• Disappointment, But No Surprise (Editorial, Terre Haute Tribune-Star, 4/29/08)
• The Court Fumbles on Voting Rights (Editorial, New York Times, 4/29/08)
• Limiting Voting Rights: Battle Real Dragons (Editorial, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 4/28/08)
• Voter ID Laws: A “Solution” in Search of a Problem (Marty Lederman, Convictions Blog, Slate, 4/28/08)
• Proposed Law Requiring Photo ID to Vote is Unwise (Editorial, Edit News & Eagle, 4/20/08)
• Voter ID: Contentious Issue Needs to Be Settled (Editorial, Miss. Clarion-Ledger, 3/27/08)
• Report Shows ID Is A Bad Idea (Melanie G. Ramey & Andrea Kaminski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/15/08)
• Texas Legislators Gear Up for Another Voter ID Push (Editorial, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 1/29/08)
• Photo ID Laws Are Snapshots of an Ugly Past (Martin Frost, Politico, 1/28/08)
• Voters Don’t Need Photo Identification (Editorial, Erie Times-News, 1/23/08)
• Today’s Poll Tax (Editorial, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.), 1/18/08)
• A Supreme Court Reversal: Abandoning the Rights of Voters (Adam Cohen, New York Times, 1/15/08)
• Right to Vote is Absolute (Editorial, Toledo Blade, 1/14/08)
• Fraud Alert (Jeffrey Toobin, New Yorker, 1/14/08)
• Voter ID Law Is Harmful (Editorial, Pasadena Star-News, 1/12/08)
• Barrier at the Ballot Box (Frank Moraga, Ventura County Star, 1/11/08)
• The Court and Voter ID’s (Editorial, New York Times, 1/9/08)
• Election Burden (Walter Dellinger & Sri Srinivasan, Slate, 1/8/08)
• A Transparent Effort (Editorial, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 1/8/08)
• Indiana’s Law Tests High Court (Marie Cocco, Indianapolis Star, 1/8/08)
• Voter ID: Tamping Down Turnout (Chisun Lee, Huffington Post (Off the Bus), 11/13/07)
• Voter ID Issue May Be More Complicated Than It Seems (Barry Noreen, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 11/11/07)
• From Commonsense to Nonsense (Marcela Sanchez, Washington Post, 11/9/07)
• Voter ID Law Retains Cloak of Partisan Politics (Editorial, Terre-Haute Tribune-Star (Ind.), 10/6/07)
• No Reason for Voter ID (Editorial, Toledo Blade, 10/3/07)
• A New Poll Tax? (Dan Tokaji, L.A. Times, 9/28/07)
• Voter ID Laws Are Solution to a Problem That Doesn’t Exist (Marilou Johanek, column, Toledo Blade, 9/28/07)
• Fear But Few Facts in Debate on Voter I.D.’s (Adam Liptak, N.Y. Times, 9/24/07)
• Voter ID Will Have Limited Impact (Editorial, Hattiesburg American (Miss.), 9/24/07)
• Needless Hurdle (Editorial, Savannah Morning News, 9/10/07)
• Handel Rehashes Voter ID Ploy (Editorial, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/2/07)
• Response to John Fund’s June 13th Commentary (Wendy Weiser, letter to the editor [second item], Wall Street Journal, 6/18/07)
• Photo ID Does Not Combat Voter Fraud (Rep. Judy Baker, Columbia Missourian, 5/18/07)
• Unimpeded Polls (Editorial, Dallas Morning News, 4/25/07)
• There’s No Need for Photo ID (Editorial, Madison Capital Times, 4/19/07)
• Voter ID Laws Need Measured Implementation (Timothy J. Ryan, Viewpoint, AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project, 4/18/07)
• Fraud Reform? (Richard L. Hasen, Slate, 2/22/06)
• Rationale for Voter ID Law Fraudulent (Editorial, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/20/05)

And these assert that restrictive identification rules would meaningfully prevent voter fraud:

• Voter ID Decision Makes Sense (Editorial, The Messenger (Fort Dodge, Iowa), 5/18/08)
• Voter ID Would Ensure That Our Elections Are Fair (J.B. Van Hollen, Janesville Gazette (Wis.), 5/14/08)
• Voter ID Laws Are No Burden (Editorial, Daily Times (Salisbury, Md.), 5/12/08)
• Indiana’s Voter ID Model (Patrick McIlheran, N.Y. Sun, 5/6/08)
• Picture Imperfect: Voter ID Measure Gets Shelved (Editorial, The Oklahoman, 5/5/08)
• Court Clears Way For Strong Voter ID Law (Editorial, Press-Register (Ala.), 5/2/08)
• Court Right to Uphold Voter ID Law (Editorial, Bowling Green Daily News (Ky.), 5/2/08)
• Supreme Court’s Voter ID Ruling A Sign of New Reality (Joseph R. Reisert, Morning Sentinel (Maine), 5/2/08)
• Making 2008 Fraud Free (Editorial, Boston Herald, 4/30/08)
• Snapshot Decision: Voter ID Ruling Makes Sense (Editorial, The Oklahoman, 4/30/08)
• The Right Ruling; Voter ID Protects Integrity of Elections (Editorial, Worcester Telegram (Ma.), 4/30/08)
• Opposing Voter ID Laws is Wrong (Thurman Hart, NJ Voices Blog, 4/30/08)
• Indiana’s Anti-Fraud Law Works (Patrick McIlheran, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 4/29/08)
• Photo Finish (Editorial, Wall Street Journal, 4/29/08)
• A Victory Against Voter Fraud (John Fund, Wall Street Journal, 4/29/08)
• Will Voter ID Bill Return From the Dead?(Editorial, Hattiesburg American, 3/27/08)
• In Our View: Why Wait For Glitch (Editorial, Joplin Globe (Mo.), 3/17/08)
• Presenting ID to Vote Is No Burden (Editorial, Eagle-Tribune (Lawrence, Mass.), 1/31/08)
• Support for Voter ID (Editorial, Washington Times, 1/23/08)
• Photo ID For Voting Is Just Common Sense (Jennifer Carlson, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 1/14/08)
• Our Sacred Civic Transaction Deserves Protection Too (Todd Rokita, Evening News (Ind.), 1/13/08)
• (Howard Chapman, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, 1/11/08)
• Dead People Voting (Editorial, Florida Times-Union, 1/9/08)
• Voters Without Borders (Kenneth Blackwell, New York Sun, 1/3/08)
• For Many, Voter ID Is a Matter of Political Strategy (Editorial, Moultrie Observer (Ga.), 1/1/08)
• Uphold Voter ID Laws (Editorial, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, 12/30/07)
• Will Court Decide 2008 Election, Too? (C.B. Upton, Tallahassee Democrat, 12/23/07)
• Jeff Davis a Reminder of Need for Voter ID (Editorial, Hattiesburg American, 12/19/07)
• Voter ID (Editorial, WDAM-TV, 11/7/07)
• A Reasonable Precaution at the Polls (Ed Feulner, Indianapolis Star, 10/23/07)
• Voter IDs Aren’t An Undue Burden (Editorial, Tampa Tribune, 10/9/07)
• Reasonable Voter ID Laws (Editorial, Washington Times, 10/2/07)
• In U.S. Elections, Voter IDs a Must (Ryan Masse, U. Wisconsin Badger-Herald, 9/27/07)
• Voter ID (Editorial, Spartanburg Herald-Journal (S.C.), 9/27/07)
• Proof of Citizenship Should Be Required in Order to Vote (Anthony J. Adolph, letter to the editor [first item], Wall Street Journal, 6/18/07)
• Photo IDs Could End Voter Fraud (J. Karl Miller, Columbia Missourian, 5/16/07)
• Voter Photo ID Needed (Editorial, Tate County Democrat, MS, 5/8/07)