Researchers at the University of Maryland and a prominent voting rights organization have released an analysis showing that millions of voting-age Americans do not have a valid form of government-issued photo identification.
Data from the 2020 Time-Series Study conducted by the Center for Data Collection and Civic Engagement (CDCE) and VoteRiders, an organization dedicated to voter identification education and assistance, were analyzed.
Disparities were most pronounced when asked directly whether respondents possessed a valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport, or military ID.
Thirty-six of the 50 states now either mandate or strongly encourage voters to present photo identification at the polls. Sixteen states have passed either new ID laws or restrictions on existing ID laws since the 2020 elections. State supreme courts in North Carolina and Montana are currently hearing challenges to voter ID laws that would go into effect after the 2020 elections.
“Nearly 29 million voting-age U.S. citizens lacked a valid driver’s license and more than 7 million had no other form of non-expired government-issued photo identification,” a news release of the report reads.
“In states with strict photo identification laws in 2020, more than 3 million voting-age U.S. citizens did not have a current driver’s license, and more than 1 million did not have a non-expired government-issued photo identification. More than 11 million people ages 18–29 did not have a current driver’s license, and more than 3 million did not have any unexpired government issued photo ID.”
