Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Who are the voters most likely to face possible disenfranchisement by a Republican proposal to require NC voters to show a government-issued photo ID each time they vote? In early February, the State Board of Elections matched its database of registered voters with records at the Division of Motor Vehicles and learned that 1 million voters did not have a NC driver’s license or identification card with a matching name and address. Now, additional research by the State Board of Elections shows that out of the 1 million voters, about 448,000 have some indication of an ID (although something doesn’t match, like a birth date or complete name, or the card had expired); another 95,000 have not voted for years and are classified as Inactive. That leaves 460,500 Active registered voters with no indication of a current NC photo ID. Democracy North Carolina compared the profile of these voters with the 5.6 million voters who are classified as Active. The results are startling. For example, African Americans make up 22% of all Active voters, but they are 32% of the Active voters without an ID. That means if you’re a Black Active voter, you’re 48% more likely to not have a current photo ID than other Active voters. Seniors over 65 are 20% of Active voters but 32% of those with no ID; they are 64% more likely to not have a current photo ID than younger voters. Women and Democrats are also significantly more likely to not have a current ID than men and Republicans.