The right to vote is given to all American Citizens in the US Constitution. However, politicians are beginning to restrict voting rights by the means of Voter ID Laws.
Voter identification laws target the elderly, poor, minorities, and college students of America by requiring a valid form of photo identification to vote. At first glance, this seems like a reasonable measure, but it is not. If the ID is not issued in the state the voter is currently voting, or even in the same district within the state, then the ID is considered invalid.
This means that out-of- state and out-of-district college students or elderly living with family members are disqualified from voting. Advocates of voter ID laws argue that they are necessary measures to prevent voter fraud.
However, this argument is invalid because there are few cases of in- person voter fraud to begin with. Voter ID laws are drastically limiting the people’s right to vote.
A Government Accountability Office report showed that in the states of Kansas and Tennessee (home to strict voter ID laws), about 100,000 fewer people voted because of the voter ID laws. The majority of people turned away from the polls were younger and black voters, who tend to vote for the Democrats.
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