Revisiting Public Opinion on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud in an Era of Increasing Partisan Polarization
This Article updates previous findings concerning the relationship between voter identification laws and perceptions of voter fraud. Courts have established that voter identification laws can be justified as measures that safeguard “voter confidence.” We demonstrate once again, but with the benefit of new survey data, that people who live in states with voter identification laws do not have greater confidence in elections or perceive lower rates of voter impersonation fraud. Since we last published on the subject, however, we notice an increase in the partisan structure of public opinion on voter identification and voter fraud. As the issue has become more salient and partisan in tone, partisan identity has become a more powerful variable in predicting both support for voter identification laws and beliefs in the prevalence of voter fraud. We note, however, that strong majorities continue to support such laws, even though a large share of the population remains unaware of the existence of voter identification requirements. * Charles Stewart III is the Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science at MIT. Stephen Ansolabehere is Professor of Government at Harvard University; he consulted for the Department of Justice in Veasey v. Perry, before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division (No. 2:13cv00193). Nathaniel Persily is the James B. McClatchy Professor of Law at Stanford Law School. Volume 68 June 2016 Stanford Law Review Revisiting Public Opinion on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud 68 STAN. L. REV. 1455 (2016) 1456 Table of