Those concerned about the effects of the Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold a restrictive voter ID law in Indiana should keep a close eye on tomorrow's Democratic primary. As The Politico's Ben Adler writes, the need to present a valid state ID could depress turnout among key Democratic constituencies. Here are a few stats:
- Common Cause and verifiedvoting.org issued a report on May 1 that found 28 percent of African-American Hoosiers do not have the proper ID to vote.
- The same study found that of voters over 70, slightly less than 20 percent of Indianans lacked the necessary ID. By comparison, a Rock the Vote poll concluded that 19 percent of people under 30 nationally do not have a valid photo identification with their current address.
Julia Vaughn, Indiana policy director for Common Cause, warns that the law could even deter participation among African Americans with proper documentation:
Experts say that beyond the voters who do not meet the requirements, the law could have a further disproportionate impact on African-Americans because of discouragement and uneven enforcement.
Many voters may simply not try to vote, even if their identification is valid. “I think there is a chilling effect of the voter ID law,” said Vaughn. “People don’t want to get hassled when trying to vote.”
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