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This R&D covers state voter ID laws. Supporters of these laws contend that they deter voter fraud, while opponents argue that they are unconstitutional because they serve as a poll tax. Poll taxes were outlawed by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment, which was ratified in 1964. On Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas’s voter ID law to stand for the upcoming election, although it did not find that the law was constitutional. Wisconsin had hoped to enforce a voter ID requirement for this year’s elections, but the Supreme Court blocked the enforcement of the law earlier this month.
“Voter ID laws: A comprehensive report from the Government Accountability Office” via @JournoResource http://t.co/JmZ7p7VCCR
— PewResearch FactTank (@FactTank) October 21, 2014
Texas’ voter ID law is unconstitutional — but the Supreme Court is upholding it anyway. Why? http://t.co/VQOVsAGDUU pic.twitter.com/5t7mVcXVEj
— The Week (@TheWeek) October 21, 2014
The Supreme Court just approved what might be the strictest voter ID law in America: http://t.co/3ASeSGDi0c pic.twitter.com/dGTYG86Zxk
— Slate (@Slate) October 21, 2014
Today’s R&D covers voter ID laws, which have produced considerable controversy for the last decade in American politics. Those in favor of the laws argue that it prevents illegal immigrants from voting and voter fraud, but opponents argue that they are not needed, impose an unfair barrier on the poor, and violate the Twenty-Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of poll taxes. The Justice Department is currently suing several states, with North Carolina being the most recent (which is why most of the articles below cover North Carolina), over its voter ID law.