It is important to note that this issue of voter id laws and voter fraud is very partisan. The majority of the voter id bills passed were proposed by Republican politicians . To these politicians, and many others, voter id laws seem like a very logical method of securing the voting process against fraudulent votes that may effect elections. Much of the outrage surrounding the topic seems to be coming from the Democratic Party and its affiliates. Critics of the laws harken new voter id bills back to the days of the poll tax, a required government fee which dissuaded citizens (mostly African Americans and other racial minorities) from voting. They argue that voters with less financial means (the same voters who are more likely to vote for the democratic party) will not be able to afford getting a state issued id, and will therefore be less likely to vote. To these opponents of voter id laws, voter regulation is seen as an effort to disenfranchise the voter bases that typically lean one way.
Currently, many of the laws passed by states are being contested in court. Most recently, a judge in the state of Pennsylvania temporarily blocked a voter id law. The reason for the provisional block is that voters do not have enough time to obtain a state id for the upcoming election. In some instances, because of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, the Department of Justice is being involved. Section 5 mandates that states with a history of racial discrimination, like Texas and South Carolina, obtain a preclearance before attempting to pass voter id laws. As the election season and the year come to an end, we will see if voter id laws remain an issue in American politics.
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