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There are currently 36 states with voter identification laws. There is evidence that voter identification laws disproportionately affect certain populations, including racial minorities, low-income voters, student voters, and older adults. It is important to know one’s state voting requirements well ahead of the election to ensure access to the polls. Learn why here.
In a past life, I was a member of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. The women in that community remain dear friends and mentors, and it was through the Sisters of the Holy Cross that I first became aware of the impact voter identification laws can have on older adults.
Voter ID Laws in Indiana
During the 2008 primary elections in Indiana, the motherhouse for the Sisters of the Holy Cross served as a polling station. As one might imagine, a number of the poll workers at that polling station were Holy Cross Sisters, and as one might also imagine, a great number of the voters at that polling station were Holy Cross Sisters. These women know one another by name, having lived, worked, and prayed together every day for many years.
On election day in 2008, several Holy Cross Sisters were not able to cast a ballot because they did not have photo ID. In 2005, Indiana enacted a voter identification law requiring photo identification to vote in person. At the time, the law was the strictest in the nation. There was concern, at the time, that Indiana’s voter ID law put unjust burdens on those less likely to have a driver’s license, like older adults. The law was challenged but upheld by the United States Supreme Court a week before the 2008 primary elections in Indiana.
The experience of the Holy Cross Sisters seemed to illustrate the concerns expressed. Here were older women who did not drive and therefore did not have an Indiana driver’s license, who lived together most of their lives, and they could not vote. It was obvious that the poll workers could identify who each Sister was. There was no room for fraud or mistaken identity, and yet, they were still ineligible to vote. Some of those women were able to cast provisional ballots and return with photo identification within ten days. At the time, the Indiana Attorney General said that the ability to vote absentee (which does not require voter identification) and the ability to return with photo ID within ten days compensate for these kinds of circumstances. Incidentally, in 2023, Indiana passed another law adding identification requirements to the absentee voting process.
Rise in Voter ID Laws
Since Indiana enacted its voter identification laws, many other states have enacted voter identification legislation. Currently, 36 states have some form of voter identification legislation, with 8 of those states enacting laws since the 2020 election. The experience of the Holy Cross Sisters begs the question why. Supporters of voter ID laws argue that these laws are supposed to prevent voter fraud and increase the electorate’s confidence in the electoral process. Opponents of these laws argue that there was little to no evidence of voter fraud and that the consequences far outweigh any benefits.