Voter ID kerfuffles erupt across US, as Republicans reject digital ID

As the U.S. presidential election in November looms, states are squabbling over a flurry of voter ID legislation. The country is already a patchwork of state-level laws butting up against each other and federal initiatives. As voting and identity have become political issues, with Republicans nodding at the southern border to stoke fears about non-citizens casting votes – which is illegal in every state – lawmakers are working the levers to try and ensure fair elections. Digital IDs have become a particular issue in North Carolina, where Republicans have moved to ban the use of student digital IDs as valid proof of identity when voting.

California quashes local voter ID requirement, ACLU trying same in New Hampshire

Both California and New Hampshire have seen challenges to laws that require residents to show a valid form of identification in order to cast a vote. Democracy Docket reports that golden state governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill barring local governments from making valid ID a legal requirement for voting. It comes in response to a move to implement such measures in coastal Huntington Beach, AKA Surf City, where a majority of residents voted to make showing ID obligatory for voting in municipal elections.

In explaining why the community’s law runs counter to the state’s, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) notes in his lawsuit that “the right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy and Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy flies in the face of this principle.”

“State election law already contains robust voter ID requirements with strong protections to prevent voter fraud, while ensuring that every eligible voter can cast their ballot without hardship. Imposing unnecessary obstacles to voter participation disproportionately burdens low-income voters, voters of color, young or elderly voters, and people with disabilities.”

A similar tale is unfolding in New Hampshire, where a lawsuit is challenging a state law that makes proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID a requirement for voting. An ABC News report says the suit, filed in U.S. District Court by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), accuses the New Hampshire law of being one of the most restrictive in the nation.

In a statement, Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director at the ACLU of New Hampshire, says such laws “create unconstitutional roadblocks to voting and which could stop thousands of eligible voters from participating in an election.” The ACLU is joined in its legal action by the Coalition for Open Democracy, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, the Forward Foundation and five voters.

New Hampshire officials argue that the ID law will “instill even more integrity and trust in the voting process.”

Kansas and Arizona have both previously tried to impose voter ID requirements, with only partial success in Arizona and the Kansas law deemed to be in violation of the constitution.

Per ABC, Republicans in Washington are trying to push through the SAVE Act, a federal proof-of-citizenship mandate for voters.

North Carolina schools become battleground for election, digital ID

Students at Duke University have been jarred by the state elections board’s rejection of digital ID as valid identification for voting. Indy Week reports that, while Duke abandoned physical IDs last year, opting to embrace digital identity, its electronic IDs will not be accepted at the ballot box.

This has puzzled students who use their digital ID for everything from food to room entry.

Support for Democrats and Republicans is split in North Carolina, and youth are statistically more likely to vote Democrat. That means a few thousand votes could carry significant weight in a swing state. Per the report, “voters ages 18 to 24 make up 11 percent of the state’s electorate, according to voter registration data. But in the March 2024 primary, dozens of Duke student votes were tossed out because the students lacked proper identification.”

Duke is now scrambling to issue physical IDs that will be accepted for the November election.

UNC Chapel Hill is facing a similar scenario. The Associated Press reports that a North Carolina appeals court has blocked students and employees from using the flagship public university’s digital identification when voting. The decision overturns a prior ruling by the State Board of Elections that the mobile ID met the necessary security and photo requirements.

The Republican National Committee and North Carolina Republican Party are behind the push to block the use of digital ID as proof of identity for the 2024 election. Attorneys from the Democratic National Committee say preventing the use of digital ID could confuse or disenfranchise up to 40,000 people. The case could be headed for the Supreme Court.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  California  |  digital ID  |  identity verification  |  New Hampshire  |  North Carolina  |  United States  |  voter identification