In a USA Today op-ed, Pajamas Media blogger and former DOJ Civil Rights Division official Hans von Spakovsky employed numerous falsehoods to defend statutes requiring all voters to show identification before casting ballots. In fact, contrary to von Spakovsky’s argument, legal voters have been turned away from the voting booth because they lacked proper identification, the effects of voter ID laws may fall disproportionately on the poor and members of racial minorities, and instances of fraudulent voting are very rare.
Von Spakovsky Falsely Suggests Voter ID Laws Did Not Prevent People From Voting
Von Spakovksy: Plaintiffs Challenging Voter ID Law “Couldn’t Produce Anyone Who Would Be Unable To Vote Because Of The Voter ID Requirements.”
In his USA Today op-ed claiming that states pass voter ID laws “to ensure the integrity of our election process,” von Spakovsky wrote:
Numerous academic studies have also shown that voter ID does not depress the turnout of minority, poor and elderly voters. Georgia and Indiana saw no decrease in the turnout of such voters in elections after their voter ID laws went into effect. All the federal and state lawsuits filed against Georgia and Indiana were thrown out. Why? Because the plaintiffs couldn’t produce anyone who would be unable to vote because of the voter ID requirements. [USA Today, 6/12/11]
USA Today Editorial Published The Same Day Said “Republican ID Laws Smack Of Voter Suppression.” Von Spakovsky’s op-ed was an “opposing view” to a USA Today editorial criticizing voter identification laws and accusing Republicans of supporting such laws “for their political benefit.” [USA Today, 6/12/11]
Voter ID Laws Have Kept The Elderly, Racial Minorities, And Nuns From Voting
LA Times: Indiana Voter ID Law “Ke[pt] Nuns, Students From Polls.” Contrary to von Spakovsky’s suggestion that voter ID laws do not keep anyone from voting, the Los Angeles Times reported: “A dozen nuns and an unknown number of students were turned away from polls Tuesday in the first use of Indiana’s stringent voter ID law since it was upheld last week by the U.S. Supreme Court.” From theLA Times article, headlined “ID law keeps nuns, students from polls”:
Full Article: Von Spakovsky Spreads Falsehoods To Push For Voter ID Laws | Media Matters for America.