More states consider voter ID laws, as research on impact is conflicting • Oklahoma Voice

Nevada voters could decide in November whether to join about 30 other states that require voters to show valid ID before casting a ballot. Maine may not be far behind, as the push for ID requirements grows nationwide despite conflicting studies on their effects.

Nevada conservative organizers say they have gathered enough signatures to put their measure on the general election ballot. It would amend the state constitution to require voters to show ID at polling places or include some form of identification — such as the last four digits of a driver’s license or a Social Security number — on mail-in ballots.

“We’ve seen over the last 20 years questions about who voted and whether there were fake ballots,” said David Gibbs, president of Repair the Vote PAC, a North Las Vegas-based group that is leading the voting initiative. “This is a way to bring people together. A lot of people are looking at it, and it makes sense.”

If the measure comes to a vote and voters approve it in November, they will have to vote again in 2026, as required by the state constitutional amendment.

The bill has a good chance of passing. According to a Fox News poll in June, 84 percent of registered voters in Nevada support a voter ID requirement. Those results closely mirror the results of a national Pew Research Center poll in February, which found that 81 percent of American adults supported requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote.

Voting rights advocates cite studies showing that such rules prevent many legitimate voters — particularly young, black and Latino voters — from turning out to vote. But supporters of voter ID laws cite other studies that suggest such rules have had little effect on turnout, in part because Democrats often respond by stepping up their voter mobilization efforts.

For more than a decade, Republican lawmakers have been pushing for stricter voter ID laws. Thirty-six states require some form of ID to vote, though laws vary from state to state on what types of ID are accepted and what requirements apply to voting by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

This list could go on.

In May, the Republican-led New Hampshire legislature passed a measure that would require residents to prove their citizenship status to register to vote. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has yet to sign the bill into law.

In Maine, conservative activists are continuing to collect signatures to put their voter ID measure on the November 2025 ballot. Maine does not require photo ID at polling places, and Democratic lawmakers are trying to keep that on the ballot, arguing that it could prevent residents who are less likely to have a driver’s license from being able to vote.

Voting rights advocates say voter ID laws can lead to confusion at polling places and that states that implement them should do more to ensure fair access to official ID cards.

“The more complicated we make it, the more obstacles we put in front of people, the more obstacles there are for people who are simply trying to participate in our democracy,” said Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the voting rights program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, a progressive policy nonprofit.

The Brennan Center, in collaboration with the University of Maryland Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement and the voting rights organizations Public Wise and VoteRiders, released a survey in June that found that nearly 21 million U.S. citizens of voting age do not have a valid driver’s license.

The survey also found that more than a quarter of black and Latino adults do not have a driver’s license with their current name or address, higher than their white and Asian American counterparts. A significantly higher percentage of young people also do not have a current ID, she added.

Getting an up-to-date driver’s license takes time and costs money, which can be more difficult for people from lower socioeconomic status, Morales-Doyle said. And those who earn less often change addresses, he added.

The survey also revealed a stark gap in voters’ understanding of state voter ID laws: It found that more than half of Americans living in states that require ID to vote were unaware of their state’s laws. A March report from NBC News found that 29 million Americans live in states that have implemented a new voter ID law since 2020.

Recent elections in North Carolina and Ohio illustrate the impact: confusion over voter ID rules led to the rejection of provisional ballots.

VoteRiders seeks to increase awareness and knowledge of voter ID requirements through its on-the-ground efforts, 24/7 hotline, and text messages, billboards and public service announcements.

The group has organizers in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin who visit college campuses, LGBTQ+ Pride events, health clinics and community resource fairs to provide information about those states’ voter ID laws. Each year, the group helps more than 10,000 people get IDs.

“One of the things that keeps me up at night is thinking about how dramatically the playing field has changed when it comes to voting since 2020,” said Lauren Kunis, CEO of the nonpartisan group. “I worry that many people will be caught off guard in November when it comes to the ID issue and other aspects of the voting process.”

In Nevada, the political action group Repair the Vote collected more than 179,000 signatures statewide last week, using volunteers and a company it hired to canvass doors and stand outside grocery stores and libraries. The state requires more than 102,000 valid signatures, including a certain number in each voting district. State and local officials must now validate those signatures.

Gibbs, the group’s chairman, said the new ID requirement would not be a barrier to voting. He rejected the argument that voter ID measures would make it harder for people of color or low-income people to vote.

“You need a photo ID to get a job. You need a photo ID to open a bank account. You need a photo ID to do almost anything,” he told Stateline. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have one, but at the same time, you can have one.”