Costs Outweigh Benefits for Voter ID Amendment
On Tuesday, November 8, Mississippi voters will consider the application of voter identification at every precinct in the state. Those in favor of voter identification argue that providing a state issued photo id will decrease voter fraud and reinforce the integrity of elections. The most popular arguments of the opposition deal with the possibility of lower voter turnout due to discrimination in race and age.
As a libertarian, I tend to look at cost before I look at benefits. In 2008, the Supreme Court looked at state imposed voter ID in Indiana in the case Crawford v. Marion County Election Board. In the majority opinion, Justice John Paul Stevens stated that voter ID was constitutional as long as the state offered the identification cards free of charge. Otherwise, voter identification cards qualify as a poll tax. If the Mississippi voter ID initiative passes in November, the physical printing and distribution of a new form of identification as well as the implementation of the new policy will end up costing the state one and a half million dollars a year. Are the benefits worth the cost?
Studies have shown that states that require photo identification in elections have little to no significant difference in voter turnout or fraud. “In [a] 2008 survey, three out of 2,564 respondents said that they tried to vote but were not allowed because of voter ID, a fraction of a percent.”[1] The only claim by either side that has any relevance is that some groups may not receive equal treatment by poll workers when asked for identification. “In the 2008 Super Tuesday primary states, 53% of whites were asked to show photo ID, compared with 58% of Hispanics and a staggering 73% of African Americans.”[2] The above data should be a warning for Mississippians to rethink their support of voter identification when they go to the polls this Tuesday. More unnecessary spending and possible discrimination at the polls makes voter identification contain more negative policy implications than positive. This is why I am voting NO on Initiative 27.
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Richard Burke is the executive director of the Libertarian Party of Mississippi, an active member of Young Americans for Liberty Ole Miss, and a contributor to UMFreedom.com. He can be contacted at guitarhog@yahoo.com.
[1] Ansolabehere, Stephen. “Effects on Identification Requirements on Voting: Evidence from Experiences of Voters on Election Day.” PS. 42.1 (2009): 127- 130. Web. 21 Sep. 2011.
[2] Ansolabehere, Stephen. “Effects on Identification Requirements on Voting: Evidence from Experiences of Voters on Election Day.” PS. 42.1 (2009): 127- 130. Web. 21 Sep. 2011.
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March 17, 2013 at 2:59 pm