brennan
center
for justice

Voting L aw Changes in 2012
Wendy R. Weiser and Lawrence Norden

Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law

about the brennan center for justice
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a non-partisan public policy
and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Our work ranges
from voting rights to campaign finance reform, from racial justice in criminal law to presidential power
in the fight against terrorism. A singular institution—part think tank, part public interest law firm,
part advocacy group—the Brennan Center combines scholarship, legislative and legal advocacy, and
communications to win meaningful, measurable change in the public sector.

About the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program
The Brennan Center’s Democracy Program works to repair the broken systems of American democracy.
We encourage broad citizen participation by promoting voting and campaign reform. We work to
secure fair courts and to advance a First Amendment jurisprudence that puts the right of citizens—not
special interests—at the center of our democracy. We collaborate with grassroots groups, advocacy
organizations, and government officials to eliminate the obstacles to an effective democracy.

acknowledgements
The Brennan Center gratefully acknowledges the Bauman Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New
York, Democracy Alliance Partners, Ford Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The Irving B. Harris
Foundation, Mitchell Kapor Foundation, Michael Kieschnick, Nancy Meyer and Marc Weiss, Open
Society Foundations, Rockefeller Family Fund, Tides Advocacy Fund, and Wallace Global Fund for
their generous support of our voting work.
This report is the joint product of hours of work by many Brennan Center staff. In particular, we owe a
special thanks to Brennan Center attorneys Keesha Gaskins, Myrna Pérez, Lee Rowland, and Nic Riley,
all of whom drafted or edited sections of the report and the attached appendix. We also thank Jonathan
Brater and Nick Bauer, who reviewed and edited portions of the document.
The report could not have been completed without many hours of research and general assistance from
current and former Brennan Center research associates, most especially Lianna Reagan, John Travis,
Nhu-Y Ngo, and Maria Da Silva. Brennan Center interns Sarah Ferguson and Meredith McCoy also
provided valuable assistance for the appendix.
This report benefited greatly from the insightful and thorough editorial assistance of Jeanine Plant-Chirlin
and Andrew Goldston.
We also thank Brennan Center Executive Director Michael Waldman for his strategic insight, helping
shape and frame the final product.

© 2011. This paper is covered by the Creative Commons “Attribution-No Derivs-NonCommercial” license (see
http://creativecommons.org). It may be reproduced in its entirety as long as the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School
of Law is credited, a link to the Center’s web page is provided, and no charge is imposed. The paper may not be reproduced
in part or in altered form, or if a fee is charged, without the Center’s permission. Please let the Center know if you reprint.

about the authors
Wendy R. Weiser directs the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School
of Law, a non-partisan think tank and public interest law center. She founded and directed the center’s
Voting Rights and Elections Project, coordinating litigation, research, and advocacy efforts to enhance
political participation and prevent voter disenfranchisement across the country. Her work and the
work she directed protected the voting rights of hundreds of thousands of citizens in 2006, 2008, and
2010.
She has authored a number of nationally-recognized publications and articles on voting rights and
election reform; litigated ground-breaking voting rights lawsuits; testified before both houses of
Congress and in a variety of state legislatures; and provided policy and legislative drafting assistance to
federal and state legislators and administrators across the country. She is a frequent public speaker and
media contributor on democracy issues.
Lawrence Norden is Deputy Director of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program. He has authored
several nationally recognized reports and articles related to voting rights, voting systems and election
administration.
In April 2009, Mr. Norden completed his duties as Chair of the Ohio Secretary of State’s bipartisan
Election Summit and Conference, authoring a report that recommended several changes to Ohio’s
election administration practices and laws; the report was endorsed by most of the State’s voting rights
groups, as well as the bipartisan Ohio Association of Election Officials. In June 2009, he received the
Usability Professional Association’s Usability In Civic Life Award for his “pioneering work to improve
elections.” Mr. Norden is the lead author of the book The Machinery of Democracy: Protecting Elections
in an Electronic World (Academy Chicago Press) and a contributor to the Encyclopedia of American Civil
Liberties (Routledge 2007).
Mr. Norden is an Adjunct Professor at the NYU School of Law, where he teaches the Brennan Center
Public Policy Advocacy Clinic.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary 
	
Introduction
I.	

Voter Identification
A.	
B.	
C.	
D.	
	

	
	

II.	

Background
Roundup of Legislative Developments
What the Bills Say
Legislative Battles
Florida History
2011 Debate in Florida
Impact of New Voting Laws on Minority Voters

4
4
5
5
8
9
9
9
10	
11
11
11
12
15
14

16
16
17
17
17

19
19
19
21
21
22
22
22
24

Part 2: Eliminating Same-Day Registration

25

A.	
B.	
C.	

25
25
26
26
27
27

D.	

	

Background
Roundup of Legislative Developments
What the Bills Say
Legislative Battles

Making Voter Registration Harder
Part 1: Voter Registration Drive Regulations
A.	
B.	
C.	
D.	

	

Background
Roundup of Legislative Developments
What the Bills Say
Making it Harder for Students to Vote
Legislative Battles
1. A High Priority After Years Without Success
a.  Change in Partisan Control
Focus: Rhode Island and Ohio—
Exceptions That Prove the Rule
b.  Heightened Priority
Focus: Texas
c.  Support by Conservative ALEC
2. The Debate
The Costs of Voter ID 
3. When All Else Fails: Ballot Measures

Documentary Proof Of Citizenship To Register Or Vote
A.	
B.	
C.	
D.	


Iii.	
	

1

2

Background
Roundup of Legislative Developments
What the Bills Say
The Special Case of Ohio’s Referendum
Legislative Battles
Focus: Maine and the People’s Vote

Part 3: Other Restrictions on Voter Registration

28

	
	

28
28

Focus: Florida
Focus: Wisconsin

IV.	Making Voting Harder: Restricting Early In-Person Voting 
And Mail-In Absentee Voting
A.	
B.	
C.	
D.	

V.	

Making It Harder To Restore Voting Rights
A.	
B.	
C.	
D.	

Endnotes

Background
Roundup of Legislative Developments
What the Bills Say
Legislative Battles
The Debate
Early Voting on Sunday and the Black Vote

Background
Roundup of Legislation and Executive Actions
Content of Executive Actions
The Debate

29
29
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30
31
31
33

34
34
34
35
36
37

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the past century, our nation expanded the franchise and knocked down myriad barriers to full
electoral participation. In 2011, however, that momentum abruptly shifted.
State governments across the country enacted an array of new laws making it harder to register or
to vote. Some states require voters to show government-issued photo identification, often of a type
that as many as one in ten voters do not have. Other states have cut back on early voting, a hugely
popular innovation used by millions of Americans. Two states reversed earlier reforms and once again
disenfranchised millions who have past criminal convictions but who are now taxpaying members of
the community. Still others made it much more difficult for citizens to register to vote, a prerequisite
for voting.
These new restrictions fall most heavily on young, minority, and low-income voters, as well as on voters
with disabilities. This wave of changes may sharply tilt the political terrain for the 2012 election. Based
on the Brennan Center’s analysis of the 19 laws and two executive actions that passed in 14 states, it is
clear that:
•	 These new laws could make it significantly harder for more than five million eligible voters to
cast ballots in 2012.1
•	 The states that have already cut back on voting rights will provide 171 electoral votes in 2012–
63 percent of the 270 needed to win the presidency.
•	 Of the 12 likely battleground states, as assessed by an August Los Angeles Times analysis of
Gallup polling, five have already cut back on voting rights (and may pass additional restrictive
legislation), and two more are currently considering new restrictions.2
States have changed their laws so rapidly that no single analysis has assessed the overall impact of such
moves. Although it is too early to quantify how the changes will impact voter turnout, they will be a
hindrance to many voters at a time when the United States continues to turn out less than two thirds
of its eligible citizens in presidential elections and less than half in midterm elections.
This study is the first comprehensive roundup of all state legislative action thus far in 2011 on voting
rights, focusing on new laws as well as state legislation that has not yet passed or that failed. This
snapshot may soon be incomplete: the second halves of some state legislative sessions have begun.

voting LAW CHANGES | 1

Introduction
Legislators introduced and passed a record number of bills restricting access to voting this year. New
laws ranged from those requiring government-issued photo identification or documentary proof of
citizenship to vote, to those reducing access to early and absentee voting, to those making it more
difficult to register to vote. In total, at least nineteen laws and two executive actions making it more
difficult to vote passed across the country, at least forty-two bills are still pending, and at least sixtyeight more were introduced but failed.
As detailed in this report, the extent to which states have made voting more difficult is unprecedented
in the last several decades, and comes after a dramatic shift in political power following the 2010
election. The battles over these laws were—and, in states where they are not yet over, continue to
be—extremely partisan and among the most contentious in this year’s legislative session. Proponents of
the laws have offered several reasons for their passage: to prevent fraud, to ease administrative burden,
to save money. Opponents have focused on the fact that the new laws will make it much more difficult
for eligible citizens to vote and to ensure that their votes are counted. In particular, they have pointed
out that many of these laws will disproportionately impact low-income and minority citizens, renters,
and students—eligible voters who already face the biggest hurdles to voting.
This report provides the first comprehensive overview of the state legislative action on voting rights
so far in 2011. It summarizes the legislation introduced and passed this legislative session, provides
political and legal context, and details the contentious political battles surrounding these bills.
Overall, legislators introduced and passed the following measures:
•	 Photo ID laws. At least thirty-four states introduced legislation that would require voters
to show photo identification in order to vote. Photo ID bills were signed into law in seven
states: Alabama, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. By
contrast, before the 2011 legislative session, only two states had ever imposed strict photo ID
requirements. The number of states with laws requiring voters to show government-issued
photo identification has quadrupled in 2011. To put this into context, 11% of American
citizens do not possess a government-issued photo ID; that is over 21 million citizens.
•	 Proof of citizenship laws. At least twelve states introduced legislation that would require
proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, to register or vote. Proof of citizenship laws
passed in Alabama, Kansas, and Tennessee. Previously, only two states had passed proof of
citizenship laws, and only one had put such a requirement in effect. The number of states with
such a requirement has more than doubled.
•	 Making voter registration harder. At least thirteen states introduced bills to end highly
popular Election Day and same-day voter registration, limit voter registration mobilization
efforts, and reduce other registration opportunities. Maine passed a law eliminating Election
Day registration, and Ohio ended its weeklong period of same-day voter registration. Florida

2 | Brennan Center for Justice

and Texas passed laws restricting voter registration drives, and Florida and Wisconsin passed
laws making it more difficult for people who move to stay registered and vote.
•	 Reducing early and absentee days. At least nine states introduced bills to reduce their early
voting periods, and four tried to reduce absentee voting opportunities. Florida, Georgia, Ohio,
Tennessee, and West Virginia succeeded in enacting bills reducing early voting.
•	 Making it harder to restore voting rights. Two states—Florida and Iowa—reversed prior
executive actions that made it easier for citizens with past felony convictions to restore their
voting rights, affecting hundreds of thousands of voters. In effect, both states now permanently
disenfranchise most citizens with past felony convictions.

Legislation introduced
Photo ID requirements passed
Proof of citizenship passed
Restrictions on voter registration passed
Restrictions on early/absentee voting passed
Executive action making it harder to restore voting rights

voting LAW CHANGES | 3

I.	

VOTER IDENTIFICATION
A.	

Background

By far the most widespread legislative development this session involved bills to impose stricter
documentary identification requirements on voters. Voter ID laws—especially those that require voters
to show one of a small number of government-issued photo IDs to vote—have been the subject of
intense debate over the past few election cycles, and the debate heated up this year.
Proponents of strict voter ID laws maintain that they are reasonable measures to prevent fraud by
persons improperly casting ballots in the names of other registered citizens, real or imagined. They
dispute that such laws will discourage voting by any group, claiming that photo IDs are needed for
many aspects of modern life, including boarding an airplane or entering certain government buildings.3
Opponents maintain that photo ID laws exclude large swaths of the electorate, since 11% of citizens—
and an even greater percentage of low-income, minority, young, and older citizens—do not have stateissued photo IDs.4 They argue that photo ID requirements are similar to a poll tax, whether or not the
IDs are offered for free, because to obtain the necessary IDs citizens must produce documents that cost
money, like passports and birth certificates.5 Opponents also claim that impersonation voter fraud—
the only type of fraud prevented by voter ID laws—almost never happens since our laws adequately
protect against and punish such fraud.6 Although the best available study found that strict voter ID
laws reduce turnout, neither side can definitively demonstrate the extent of the effect on voter turnout,
since such laws have not been in effect long enough to permit accurate study.7 Each side also questions
the other’s motives.
Voter ID is nothing new—indeed, federal law requires every new voter who registers by mail to show
ID before voting,8 and a variety of states have additional common-sense ID requirements.9 What is
new, however, is the degree to which the voter ID bills that were proposed and passed this session were
restrictive, excluding many common forms of photo and non-photo IDs, such as student IDs and Social
Security cards, and offering no alternative mechanisms for eligible citizens without the selected IDs to cast
ballots that will count. What also is new is the extent to which such restrictive bills passed this session.
Prior to the 2006 elections, no state required its voters to show government-issued photo ID at the
polls (or elsewhere) in order to vote. In 2006, Indiana became the first state in the nation to do so.
Although Georgia and Missouri passed photo ID laws at around the same time, both states’ laws were
blocked by courts on the ground that they interfered with the right of eligible citizens to vote—under
the U.S. Constitution in Georgia’s case and the Missouri State Constitution in Missouri’s case.10 In
2008, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s voter ID law against a constitutional attack.11 After
lengthy litigation in response to which Georgia amended its voter ID law several times, Georgia’s law
was eventually upheld as well.12 That law first went into effect in late 2007, making Georgia the second
state in the nation to require its citizens to show photo ID at the polls.
Thus, as of the start of this legislative session, only two states had ever imposed strict photo ID
requirements on voters, and only for a short period of time. Several other states—Florida, Hawaii,
Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, and South Dakota—also requested, and still request, photo ID from their
voters at the polls, but if a voter in those states does not have photo ID, she can still cast a ballot that

4 | Brennan Center for Justice

will count after an alternative verification procedure, like a signature match or a sworn affidavit. The
remainder of the states had more flexible voting identification requirements.13

B.	

Roundup of Legislative Developments

This year, at least thirty-four states introduced a record number of bills to require photo ID to vote.14 As
Jenny Bowser, senior fellow at the National Conference of State Legislatures, observed, “It’s remarkable
… I very rarely see one single issue come up in so many state legislatures in a single session.”15
Photo ID bills passed and were signed into law in seven states to date: Alabama, Kansas, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.16 (The Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas laws
cannot go into effect unless and until they are pre-cleared by either the U.S. Department of Justice or
a federal court under the Voting Rights Act.) Bills also passed but were vetoed in five additional states:
Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, and North Carolina.17 A number of additional
states—including Pennsylvania18—still have active photo ID bills pending in ongoing legislative
sessions. In New Hampshire, legislators failed to override the Governor’s veto,19 and in North Carolina,
legislators could attempt to push a new voter ID bill despite the Governor’s veto.20
In addition, Missouri legislators passed a ballot measure to amend the state constitution to allow
the state to impose photo ID requirements on voters; the measure will appear on the state ballot in
November 2012.21 (If the measure passes, legislators will have to enact further legislation before a photo
ID requirement could be imposed.) Supporters of strict voter ID in Mississippi similarly introduced a
ballot initiative that will appear on the November 2011 ballot.22

C.	

What the Bills Say

In general, the photo ID bills that were introduced this session are more restrictive than those in prior
sessions, including fewer forms of acceptable IDs, fewer exemptions, or fewer alternative mechanisms
for eligible voters without the specified IDs to vote.
Those laws that have passed this session vary in several respects, including: (1) the types of photo ID
that voters are permitted to show for voting; (2) whether the requirement to provide ID applies only to
in-person voters or to those who vote by mail as well; (3) whether there are any exemptions from the
requirement to provide ID; and, most importantly, (4) whether there is an alternative way for a voter
who does not have an accepted form of photo ID to cast a ballot that counts. Detailed descriptions of
each bill are included in the appendix to this report.
The types of ID permitted. With the exception of Rhode Island, each of the states that passed voter ID
bills require voters to show government-issued photo IDs, though the list of acceptable IDs differs
from state to state. All seven states accept an unexpired driver’s license, non-driver’s ID issued by a
motor vehicle department, U.S. passport, or U.S. military photo ID. All states except for Kansas and
South Carolina also accept U.S. naturalization documents bearing a photo. Alabama, Rhode Island,
and Tennessee broadly accept any photo ID issued by state and federal governments, though Tennessee
expressly excludes student IDs from consideration. Only Alabama, Kansas, and Rhode Island accept

voting LAW CHANGES | 5

student photo IDs issued by state institutions of higher education. Wisconsin purports to accept certain
state-issued student IDs, but the state’s new law imposes criteria for such IDs that few if any state
schools’ IDs meet. Kansas and Texas expressly allow concealed handgun licenses, and Alabama, Rhode
Island and Tennessee accept such IDs as well. Only Alabama and Wisconsin accept a tribal ID card with
a photo. Rhode Island is the only state that accepts non-governmental photo IDs for voting; indeed,
any current ID with a voter’s name and photograph suffices.
Who must show photo ID. All seven states require individuals appearing to vote in person at a polling
place to show photo ID. Only Alabama and Kansas require all persons who vote absentee to submit
a copy of their photo IDs with their mail-in ballots. Those states are now the first two states in the
nation ever to require photo ID with absentee ballots. Wisconsin requires permanent absentee voters
to submit a copy of their photo IDs, but only the first time they vote absentee. As a practical matter,
all absentee voters in Wisconsin will have to provide a copy of their photo IDs when the law first goes
into full effect in 2012.
Exemptions. Several states exclude certain categories of voters from the requirement to show photo ID
for voting. Alabama exempts individuals who are entitled to vote absentee under federal laws protecting
certain military and overseas voters and certain elderly and disabled voters. Wisconsin also exempts
military and overseas voters, as well as voters designated as “confidential,” such as police officers or
domestic violence victims. It does not exempt elderly or disabled voters other than those indefinitely
confined to certain care facilities. Tennessee exempts voters who are either hospitalized or in nursing
homes. Texas exempts certain voters with disabilities who can produce a statement that they have been
determined to be disabled by specified government agencies and do not have the required ID. And
Kansas exempts only permanently disabled and absent military voters from its law, but allows persons
over sixty-five to show expired photo IDs.
Alternative voting procedure. Three states—Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee—offer an
alternative way for all or many voters who are unable to produce photo ID to vote and have their
votes count. In Rhode Island, citizens who do not have photo ID must vote by provisional ballot, and
election officials are directed to count all such ballots so long as the signature on the provisional ballot
envelope matches the signature on the voter’s registration. In South Carolina, persons who have a
“reasonable impediment” to obtaining a photo ID or a religious objection to being photographed may
cast a provisional ballot along with an affidavit explaining why they do not have ID. Election officials
are directed to count those ballots unless there are grounds to believe the affidavit is false. In Tennessee,
persons who cannot afford a photo ID or who have a religious objection to being photographed can
swear an affidavit of identity and vote a regular ballot. These alternative means of demonstrating one’s
identity and voting without a photo ID separate these states’ laws from the much stricter laws of
Alabama, Kansas, Texas, and Wisconsin.23
Free IDs. The U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that states that require their voters to present
government-issued photo IDs for voting must make such IDs available to voters free of charge.24 And
indeed, each of the seven state laws provides a mechanism for free IDs for persons who need them for
voting. Kansas and Tennessee specify that free IDs will be available only to those who swear an affidavit
saying they need the ID for voting purposes and do not have other qualifying photo ID. It is not clear

6 | Brennan Center for Justice

whether those states or the others will sufficiently advertise their free ID offers so that eligible but
indigent voters can obtain such IDs. For example, it appears that Wisconsin officials have taken the
position that prospective voters must expressly request free IDs before one is offered; according to a key
transportation official, “the statutory language specifically puts the onus on the customer for getting the
ID for free for voting.”25 DMV officials reportedly turned away a Madison, Wisconsin voter when she
did not have enough money to renew her photo ID because she did not specifically request a free ID for
voting.26 And a former state employee claimed that he was fired because he sent an e-mail to coworkers
urging them to inform people that the free IDs had to be specifically requested.27 It is unclear under
the case law whether and under what circumstances states may be required to defray the costs of the
documents voters need in order to obtain photo IDs—most notably birth certificates, which typically
cost between $15 and $25.28 Currently, only Kansas’s law allows voters born in the state to obtain a
birth certificate free of charge if needed to obtain ID for voting.
Effective Dates. The ID provisions for all of the new ID laws have effective dates on or before 2012,
with two exceptions. The photo ID requirements in Alabama will not go into effect until 2014, if they
are pre-cleared under the Voting Rights Act. The Rhode Island law goes into effect in 2012, but only
partially; it allows either photo or non-photo ID (including, but not limited to, social security cards
and government-issued medical cards) prior to 2014. Beginning in 2014, Rhode Island will allow only
photo IDs at the polls.

States Where Voter ID Legislation Was Introduced

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

voting LAW CHANGES | 7

Making it Harder for Students to Vote
A fair amount of attention has been paid this year to the impact of voter ID laws on students.
Three of the seven photo ID bills to have passed—South Carolina’s, Texas’s, and Tennessee’s—
expressly do not allow students to use photo IDs issued by state educational institutions to vote,
and Wisconsin’s bill effectively excludes most student IDs as well.
When Wisconsin’s photo ID bill was first introduced, it too excluded all student IDs.29 After
substantial public debate and controversy,30 the bill was amended to permit student IDs that
meet certain criteria. The problem is that the student IDs currently issued by the University
of Wisconsin system and various other schools do not meet those criteria. The University of
Wisconsin would have to spend an estimated $1.1 million to issue new ID cards to students for
its photo IDs to be accepted for voting purposes.31
Many question the fairness of voter ID laws that exclude government-issued photo IDs held by
such a large segment of the population. This is especially the case with laws like Texas’s, which
does not allow voters to use student IDs but does allow them to use concealed weapon licenses
for voting.32 Some read into the fact that these bills exclude student IDs as a partisan motive to
exclude certain groups of voters more likely to Democratic.33
The legislative targeting of students this session was not limited to voter ID laws. In New Hampshire,
for example, Republican lawmakers introduced highly controversial legislation that would have
prevented students and members of the military who previously lived elsewhere from acquiring
voting residency in the state.34 No other state singles out students or any other group for special
voting residency requirements—and for good reason; as the Brennan Center pointed out, such a
discriminatory rule clearly violates the U.S. Constitution.35 The Speaker of the State House was
notoriously caught on tape telling a Tea Party group that he supported the bill because students
tend to vote Democratic. He said, “the kids [are] coming out of the school and basically doing what
I did when I was a kid. Voting as a liberal. You know, that’s what kids do. They don’t have life
experience and they just vote their feelings.”36 After strong public pressure, including opposition
from both College Democrats and College Republicans, the bill failed on the House floor.37
The targeting of student voters has also gone beyond legislation. The newly-elected Secretary of State
of Maine recently announced he was forwarding a list of 206 students who were registered to vote
in the state but paid out-of-state tuition to law enforcement for voter fraud investigations.38 But
under Maine law, like in other states, the rules for tuition are very different from those for voting;
many students meet the legal voting residency requirements while still being ineligible for in-state
tuition.39

8 | Brennan Center for Justice

D.	

Legislative Battles

The voter ID battles this session differed from the past not only because the proposed laws were more restrictive
but also because those pushing the bills prioritized them far more than their predecessors and commanded
far greater legislative support. Another new feature of the legislative landscape was the reported involvement
of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative group made up of state legislators and
business and other interests. As in past sessions, voter ID bills were hotly contested along partisan lines, with
Republicans largely supporting and Democrats largely opposing stricter ID requirements.
1. A
 High Priority After Years Without Success
State legislators across the country have been pushing strict photo ID requirements for almost a decade
now, with little success before this year. In recent legislative sessions, a majority of states—though fewer
than this year—saw the introduction of stricter voter ID bills.40
Although most voter ID bills did not advance very far in those years, there was a strong push in some states,
especially where ID laws passed this year. Wisconsin’s new voter ID law passed a decade after then-legislator
and now-Governor Scott Walker first authored a photo ID bill; former Governor Jim Doyle vetoed the bill
three times between 2002 and 2005.41 In Kansas, legislators were successful in passing a voter ID bill in 2008,
but it was vetoed by then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius. In Texas, strict voter ID bills came close to passage in
both 2007 and 2009, but were blocked under a state procedure akin to the filibuster.42 In 2009, legislators
in the South Carolina House passed a photo ID bill over angry resistance from their Democratic colleagues,43
inciting them to storm out of the session in protest.44 In Tennessee in 2009, a voter ID bill passed the Senate,
but died in the House.45 In Mississippi in 2009, legislators fought so hard for a restrictive voter ID bill that
they killed a compromise proposal to require photo ID because it was not strict enough—and the bill would
have also permitted early voting.46 In Alabama, a photo ID bill was part of the Republican Party’s legislative
agenda for more than a decade, with recent bills introduced in 2007, 2009, and 2010.47 Following a failed
bill in 2007,48 Rhode Island’s House passed a voter ID bill in 2009, but a Senate version stalled.49
In most states, however, strict voter ID bills did not advance very far before this year. Indeed, previously
only two states (Indiana and Georgia) had ever implemented a photo ID requirement for voters.
Between 2006 and 2011, no state passed a photo ID law. This year, in contrast, strict voter ID bills
met with far greater success, passing twelve state legislatures—though ultimately vetoed in five—and
passing one legislative chamber in at least six more.50
a.	 Change in Partisan Control
There are at least two major reasons for this change. The first is the stark shift in the partisan makeup
of state legislatures after 2010. As noted, there is typically a sharp partisan divide over the issue of strict
voter ID requirements, with Republicans generally pushing more restrictive measures and Democrats
generally opposing them. This year, in every case but one, strict voter ID bills were introduced by
Republican legislators. Newly elected legislators introduced about a quarter of these bills.51
As a result of Republican electoral success in state houses across the country in 2010, proponents of
strict voter ID bills were able to garner much greater legislative support than in the past. In the 2010
voting LAW CHANGES | 9

elections, Republicans picked up at least 675 state legislative seats across the country.52 Republicans
therefore controlled both legislative chambers in twenty-six states, up from fourteen earlier in 2010.53
In Wisconsin, for example, both houses switched to Republican control for the first time since 1998;
Republicans gained fourteen seats in the Assembly and four in the Senate.54 Similarly, in Alabama,
Republicans won overwhelming majorities in both legislative chambers in 2010, and they made voter ID
a priority.55 With the exception of Rhode Island, every state that enacted stricter voter ID requirements
this session had both houses and the governor’s office controlled by Republicans.
Focus: Rhode Island and Ohio—Exceptions That Prove the Rule. As noted above, support and
opposition to voter ID laws in state legislatures in 2011 fell almost entirely along partisan lines, with
Republicans largely supporting and Democrats largely opposing stricter ID requirements. There were
two notable exceptions.
In Rhode Island the photo ID bill that eventually became law was introduced by a Democratic legislator,
passed two legislative chambers controlled by Democrats, and was signed by an independent governor.
Senate sponsor Harold Metts said, “[I]n this day and age, very few adults lack one of the forms of
identification that will be accepted, and the rare person who does can get a free voter ID card from the
Secretary of State. While I’m sensitive to the concerns raised, at this point I am more interested in doing
the right thing and stopping voter fraud.” 56 But Rhode Island’s bill is significantly less restrictive and differs
substantially from the others that passed this session, in two major respects. First, unlike the other states
that provide a narrow list of acceptable photo IDs, Rhode Island broadly accepts any ID with a voter’s name
and photograph.57 Second, although Rhode Island now requires that all voters present photo ID before
receiving a ballot in person, a voter without photo ID may sign an affidavit that she does not have a photo
ID and cast a provisional ballot that will count if the signature on the ballot matches the voter’s registration
signature. In other words, a voter without photo ID can still cast a ballot that will count.
In Ohio the usual pattern was broken in a different way: a very restrictive photo ID bill was introduced
by a Republican state legislator and uniformly opposed by Democrats, but it was ultimately defeated
because of opposition from several prominent Republicans, including the Secretary of State.58 In
rejecting a proposal from the Ohio House that would only have allowed voters to present one of four
types of government issued ID, Secretary Husted stated:
I want to be perfectly clear, when I began working with the General Assembly to improve
Ohio’s elections system it was never my intent to reject valid votes. I would rather have no bill
than one with a rigid photo identification provision that does little to protect against fraud and
excludes legally registered voters’ ballots from counting.59
The reaction of Husted and some of his fellow Republicans in the state senate may have something to do
with the fact that Ohio is several years ahead of most of the country when it comes to acrimonious partisan
fighting over election administration. In particular, the passage of a voter ID bill in 2005 by a Republicancontrolled legislature, in a partisan battle typical of this year’s fights, led to years of costly litigation and
negative publicity about the new law.60 That battle ultimately ended in a court-ordered settlement in
2009.61 In the meantime, the new requirements received exceptionally harsh coverage from commentators
and editorial boards across the state,62 while election officials of both major parties complained that the

10 | Brennan Center for Justice

law was far too complicated and difficult to administer.63 Given this history, it is perhaps not surprising
that there were elected officials of both political parties who preferred to stay away from a proposal that
would have imposed an even more restrictive set of ID requirements on Ohio voters.
b.	 Heightened Priority
The second reason for the greater success of photo ID bills this year is that legislators made them more of
a priority than they had been in the past. Many of the Republican legislators and election administrators
swept into office in 2010 made voter ID a significant campaign issue as well as a major legislative priority.
Previously, it was rare for voter ID to become a campaign issue; in 2010, in contrast, newly elected
Secretaries of State Matt Schultz of Iowa, Kris Kobach of Kansas, Scott Gessler of Colorado, and Dianna
Duran of New Mexico all made voter ID a prominent part of their campaign platforms.64 Newly-elected
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker similarly made voter ID a campaign issue in 2010.65 Even before the
legislative sessions began, state lawmakers had already pre-filed voter ID bills in a number of states.66
Focus: Texas. The Texas example is illustrative. After Republicans gained twenty-six seats in the State
House, Texas State Representative Debbie Riddle camped out overnight in the State Legislature to be
the first to pre-file voter ID legislation.67 (As it turns out, her proposed bill was not the legislation that
eventually passed.) Eager lawmakers introduced so many voter ID bills—at least fourteen—that a new
“House Select Committee on Voter ID and Voter Fraud” was established to review the legislation. To
ensure that more stringent voter ID rules would pass quickly, Texas Governor Rick Perry used emergency
powers to alter the usual legislative process, declaring voter ID an “emergency item,” allowing legislators
to begin deliberation on voter ID bills immediately instead of waiting until after the first sixty days of
the session, as is customary.
This rush came after at least six years of contentious and partisan debate in Texas on voter ID.68 Democrats
successfully blocked voter ID bills in the last three legislative sessions, under dramatic circumstances. In
2007, a Democratic senator on sick leave left his bed and rushed to the State Capitol to block a vote on
proposed voter ID legislation. After casting the deciding vote to prevent debate, he went to the lounge
and vomited.69 That same session, another state senator rallied to block proposed legislation, despite
the fact that he was suffering complications from a recent liver transplant and needed a hospital bed to
be kept about one hundred feet from the Senate floor.70 Two years later, in 2009, sparring71 over a new
voter ID proposal drove marathon hearings running for twenty-three hours straight.72

c.	 Support by Conservative ALEC
A third possible reason for the success of voter ID bills this year is the reported involvement of the
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a powerful conservative group that brings together
state legislators and private interests to develop and support state legislation and policy. According to
the New York Times, “[m]any of [this session’s voter ID] bills were inspired by the American Legislative
Exchange Council, a business-backed conservative group, which has circulated voter ID proposals in
scores of state legislatures.”73 In 2009, according to other media reports, not long after ALEC featured
a cover story called “Preventing Election Fraud” in its member magazine, the organization adopted

voting LAW CHANGES | 11

model voter ID legislation and circulated it to its members across the country.74 The voter ID bills that
were eventually introduced and passed in the states this session all bear some resemblance to ALEC’s
model legislation. Although the extent of ALEC’s involvement in voter ID legislation is unknown, the
organization boasts that each year more than 1,000 bills based on its models are introduced in state
legislatures, and that approximately 17% of those bills become law.75 In addition to developing model
bills, ALEC typically provides a range of support services to help advance the policies it supports,
including trainings and seminars, studies, talking points, strategic plans, and action alerts.76
2. The Debate
As in previous legislative sessions, with the exception of Rhode Island, the debates over photo ID bills
were highly charged and divided along partisan lines.
Nowhere was the debate more heated than in Wisconsin. There, Republican legislators considered passing
the hotly contested photo ID bill while the Democrats were absent, boycotting the legislature to block the
bill that eliminated collective bargaining rights for public employees.77 Because the photo ID bill entailed
significant costs for the state, state legislative rules prevented Republicans from proceeding unilaterally
without a quorum. But the drama did not stop there. Once the Democrats returned, the State Senate
passed the voter ID bill in a hasty and boisterous vote, denying opponents the opportunity to debate or
speak out against the bill. Senate President Mike Ellis cut off the most senior member of the chamber,
State Senator Fred Risser, to call a vote. Democratic members sought to stop the roll call, but President
Ellis declared the bill passed once it had received enough votes. Some Democratic senators did not vote
out of protest or confusion, and reportedly could not add their votes after the commotion was over.78
Similarly, in Alabama, Senate leadership limited debate on the voter ID bill to twenty minutes.79

Voter ID Requirements 2010
As of January 2011

No vote without ID (photo or non-photo)
Georgia, Indiana
Photo ID requested but not required. Arkansas,
Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana,
Michigan, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia
No regular ballot without photo ID,
provisional ballots counted if voter eligible
Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina
No vote without non-photo ID
Arizona, Colorado, Missouri
No regular ballot without ID (photo or non-photo),
but provisional ballots counted if voter eligible
Alabama, Alaska, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota,
Ohio, Texas, Utah, Washington
HAVA ID requirements

12 | Brennan Center for Justice

The debates were also characterized by a high level of mistrust between both sides. Opponents of voter
ID accused proponents of attempting to shrink the electorate for partisan gain. Former President Bill
Clinton, for example, asserted that voter ID laws are intended to specifically hurt Democratic voters,
and that proponents “are trying to make the 2012 electorate look more like the 2010 electorate than the
2008 electorate.”80 Columnist E.J. Dionne wrote that “[s]ometimes the partisan motivation” behind
these efforts “is so clear.”81 Proponents, on the other hand, accused proponents of trying to ignore or
even foster voter fraud. According to one columnist, the Democrats’ “rhetoric is over the top, probably
because voter ID does get at the problem of voter fraud which—for some Democrats—is not so much
a theory as a turn out model, a key to winning close elections.”82
The content of the debate on voter ID bills was noteworthy for its consistency across the country.
Proponents of photo ID bills consistently cited allegedly rampant voter fraud in their states and the
need for greater ballot security to justify legislation. For example, in support of voter ID legislation,
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach relied upon 221 reported instances of voter fraud in Kansas
between 1997 and 2010.83 Similar claims were made by proponents of voter ID in other states.84 Many
also argued that voting is a “privilege” for which it is reasonable to require voters to expend effort.85
Opponents, on the other hand, argued that photo ID requirements will disenfranchise thousands of
eligible Americans—especially low-income citizens, minorities, students, and older Americans.86 They
also pointed out that the kind of fraud addressed by ID requirements hardly ever occurs in American
elections.87 For opponents, voting is a fundamental right rather than a privilege. Thus, in explaining
his veto of a photo ID bill, New Hampshire Governor John Lynch said, “[t]he right to vote is a

Voter ID Requirements After the 2011 Legislative Session
Updated August 2011

No vote without ID (photo or non-photo)
Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin
Photo ID requested but not required.
Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana,
Michigan, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia
No regular ballot without photo ID,
provisional ballots counted if voter eligible
Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma
No vote without non-photo ID
Arizona, Colorado, Missouri
No regular ballot without ID (photo or non-photo),
but provisional ballots counted if voter eligible
Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Washington
HAVA ID requirements

Notes
• Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas voting laws are subject
to preclearance by the Department of Justice.
• Alabama Law goes into effect Jan. 2013
• Rhode Island Law becomes restricted to only photo IDs
starting Jan. 2014
• South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas, have some
form of affidavit alternatives to a photo ID

voting LAW CHANGES | 13

fundamental right … [The voter ID bill] creates a real risk that New Hampshire voters will be denied
their right to vote.”88 And, as discussed below, opponents focused on the high costs of voter ID laws.
As voter ID laws were being considered across the country, members of Congress began weighing in on the
issue, with a strong partisan divide. Upon achieving their new majority, House Republicans announced
concerns about election administration and called for additional measures to “better protect the electoral
process.”89 Congressional Democrats, on the other hand, decried the new push toward restrictive voter
ID requirements. Representative John Lewis (D-GA) said, “this year’s Republican-backed wave of voting
restrictions has demonstrated that the fundamental right to vote is still subject to partisan manipulation.”90
Some congressional Democrats took to the house floor to denounce the new legislative efforts on voter ID,
raising questions about the motives underlying those efforts. Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH), a
leading opposition voice, charged that “these efforts have an all-too familiar stench of the Jim Crow
era.”91 Representative G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) charged that the voter ID push “is a cynical and malicious
Republican attempt to suppress minority and elderly voters who turned out in historical numbers for the
‘08 elections.”92 One hundred and fifteen Democratic House members signed a letter to Attorney General
Eric Holder asking him to oppose the new voter ID provisions.93 Voter ID was a prominent topic in a
September 8, 2011 hearing before a Senate Subcommittee chaired by Senator Dick Durbin examining the
rash of new state voting laws that threaten to suppress voter turnout across the country.94
3. When All Else Fails: Ballot Measures
Lawmakers who were unsuccessful in passing strict voter ID laws or whose laws were blocked by the
courts have begun trying a new route: passing ballot measures to amend their state constitutions, as
Oklahoma did in 2010. Oklahomans passed voter ID as a ballot measure in 2010, after a voter ID
bill was vetoed by then-Governor Brad Henry. The new law—which is not nearly as restrictive as other
measures introduced this year108—was implemented on July 1, 2011.
Though Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vetoed a photo ID bill this year, the Legislature passed a voter
ID ballot measure, which cannot be vetoed, and which will be on the Missouri ballot in November
2012. The ballot measure would amend the State Constitution to allow the Legislature to impose
stricter photo ID requirements on voters. This constitutional amendment effort comes five years after
the Missouri State Supreme Court ruled a highly controversial voter ID law unconstitutional, noting
that it would burden voters.109 No state photo ID requirement can be imposed on Missouri voters
unless the State Constitution is amended to overturn that decision. And even if the ballot measure
passes, voters will not be required to show photo ID unless the Legislature passes and the Governor
signs additional legislation.
Supporters of stricter voter ID have been pushing ballot measures in other states as well. A ballot
measure requiring photo ID to vote will appear on the Mississippi ballot in November 2011.110 In
Minnesota, legislators in the House introduced a ballot measure to amend the State Constitution to
require voter ID to counter this year’s veto; the measure has not yet been introduced in the Senate.111

14 | Brennan Center for Justice

The Costs of Voter ID
The high cost of implementing voter ID laws was a big issue this session, when states were facing
serious fiscal crises. States that pass voter ID laws must, according to court decisions, incur a
range of costs, including the costs of providing free photo IDs to voters who do not have them,
ensuring that IDs are reasonably accessible to all voters, and educating the public and election
officials.95 Although there was widespread agreement that voter ID laws entail necessary costs,
there were disputes over what those costs would be, with bill opponents accusing proponents of
dramatically understating the costs.96
The high cost of voter ID requirements caused local and county election officials in some
states—including Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—to oppose new voter ID laws.97 They
also deterred legislators in Nebraska and Iowa, two states that considered, but did not pass, voter
ID legislation this year.
Nebraska. The fiscal note attached to Nebraska’s photo ID bill (L.B. 239), estimated negligible
costs associated with its implementation, assuming that only voters who could prove they were
indigent would be provided with free IDs.98 Opponents argued that forcing voters to prove
indigence before they could be provided with a photo ID could subject the bill to constitutional
challenge, and argued that all IDs should be free.99 The original sponsor of the bill, Senator
Charlie Janssen, proposed an amendment the bill that would have added non-photo ID and
voter registration confirmation cards to the list of acceptable forms of voting identification.100
This drew a rebuke from Larry Dix, director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials,
who said the amendment would increase costs for the counties without providing any extra
security. “I don’t see that the [proposed amendment] solves the problem at all,” he said, “there’s
no security in that.”101 Ultimately, the bill failed to leave committee and therefore died when the
legislative session ended.102
Iowa. The Iowa State Association of County Auditors (ISACA)—a bipartisan organization
representing county auditors, who are responsible for administering elections at the county
level—opposed the voter ID bill proposed in their state.103 ISACA conducted an independent
study of the impact of voter ID measures in Indiana, and found that the proposed Iowa bill
would impose too high a cost and burden on local election jurisdictions to justify its adoption.104
As one county auditor put it, the legislation would be an “unfunded mandate” on counties, who
would have to bear the brunt of meeting the obligation of “educating the public and the voter
[about the bill’s requirements].”105 As a result, the Association voted to officially oppose H.F.
95.106 Both Democratic and Republican representatives in ISACA opposed the measure, with
not one person voting to support it and with 16 of 60 county representatives choosing to remain
neutral. According to Mike Gronstal, the Senate majority leader, the opposition from ISACA was
one of the main reasons the bill ultimately failed.107

voting LAW CHANGES | 15

II.	

DOCUMENTARY PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP TO REGISTER OR VOTE
A.	

Background

In general, except for certain local elections, a person must be a U.S. citizen over eighteen years old to
be eligible to participate in American elections. A voter typically establishes her eligibility by swearing
an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that she is a U.S. citizen of voting age and meets all the other
eligibility requirements of her state (such as residency and lack of disqualifying criminal convictions).112
A non-citizen or other ineligible person who falsely claims eligibility and either registers to vote or
votes is subject to serious criminal penalties—including five years in prison and $10,000 in fines under
federal law113—and also deportation.
Until recently, no state has ever required any voter to produce documentary proof of citizenship—or
age or any other component of eligibility—to participate in elections. In 2004, however, as part of a
broad-ranging ballot initiative, called Proposition 200, regulating the treatment of immigrants, Arizona
for the first time passed a law requiring prospective voters to present documentary proof of citizenship
in order to register to vote.114 The Arizona law, which went into effect before the 2006 elections,
specifically directs election officials to reject voter registration
applications that are not accompanied by one of several specified
As of the start of this legislative
citizenship documents,115 thus denying those individuals the
session, only two states had ever ability to vote. Until this year, this Arizona law was an outlier,
sought to require documentary unique in the country.
proof of citizenship for voter

Arizona’s proof of citizenship law sparked significant controversy
from the outset. In March 2006, the U.S. Election Assistance
Commission, a bipartisan federal agency charged with regulating
certain election administration matters, voted to reject Arizona’s
request to amend the federal voter registration application form to reflect the state’s new rules.116 Shortly
afterward, the law was challenged in federal court;117 it has been wrapped up in litigation ever since.
In the most recent ruling in that case, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held
that the proof of citizenship requirement conflicts with federal law—specifically, the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993.118 The Ninth Circuit agreed to rehear that case en banc, and oral argument
was held before a larger panel on June 21, 2011. The court has not yet issued its decision.
registration or voting.

Georgia became the second state to pass a proof of citizenship law in 2009, requiring prospective
voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote.119 This came after the
Department of Justice blocked implementation of an earlier Georgia policy for checking the citizenship
of registered voters as unreliable and discriminatory.120 The Department of Justice ultimately approved
of Georgia’s proof of citizenship law in April 2011,121 but the state has not yet put the law into effect.
Thus, as of the start of this legislative session, only two states had ever sought to require documentary
proof of citizenship for voter registration or voting, only one had implemented such a requirement, and
the legality of the requirement had not yet been resolved (and still is not resolved) in the courts.

16 | Brennan Center for Justice

The push for proof of citizenship requirements should also be considered in the context of the bills
targeting immigrants that swept the states this year. Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, South
Carolina, and Utah are among the states that passed laws supposedly designed to restrict benefits for,
and crack down on, undocumented immigrants.122 As with Proposition 200, Arizona was the national
leader in this effort, with its highly controversial H.B. 1070.

B.	

Roundup of Legislative Developments

This session, at least twelve states introduced legislation that would require documentary proof
of citizenship to register or vote: Alabama,123 Colorado,124 Connecticut,125 Kansas,126 Maine,127
Massachusetts,128 New Hampshire,129 Nevada,130 Oregon,131 South Carolina,132 Tennessee,133 and
Texas.134 Washington State introduced a resolution to request that any federal voting mandates make
funding contingent upon the adoption of photo ID and proof of citizenship requirements.135 Three
proof of citizenship bills passed: in Alabama, Kansas, and Tennessee.136 The new Kansas and Tennessee
laws go into effect immediately; the Alabama law must await approval by the U.S. Department of
Justice or a federal court under the Voting Rights Act.137 To date, Alabama has not yet submitted the
law for preclearance.138

C.	

What the Bills Say

The new Alabama and Kansas proof of citizenship laws are virtually identical. Like the 2004 Arizona
law, both laws require prospective voters to provide documentary evidence of U.S. citizenship with
their voter registration applicants, and election officials to deny registration to any applicant who does
not provide satisfactory documentation.139 Acceptable documents include: any driver’s or non-driver’s
ID that includes a notation that the person submitted proof of U.S. citizenship, a U.S. birth certificate,
a U.S. passport or U.S. naturalization documents, certain tribal IDs, and other rare documents.140 The
Alabama and Kansas laws apply only to new registrants; they specifically exempt all people already
registered in the state, even those who move and must update their voter registration records.141
Neither law includes any exceptions for prospective voters who were not previously registered. Both
laws specify that applicants whose registrations are denied because they failed to include satisfactory
proof of citizenship may challenge election officials’ determination in court.142 The bills that did not
pass this session similarly would have required documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Unlike the Alabama and Kansas laws, the Tennessee law applies only to individuals flagged by state
officials as potential non-citizens based on a database check. The Tennessee law therefore applies to a
smaller number of prospective voters.

D.	

Legislative Battles

Legislative debate over proof of citizenship bills was at times rancorous. For example, in Colorado,
Democratic legislators and others pressed Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler on his claims of
widespread voter fraud by non-citizens. One Colorado Democratic representative demanded that Mr.

voting LAW CHANGES | 17

Gessler turn over evidence of actual instances of non-citizens voting.143 Another representative insisted
that Mr. Gessler prosecute actual instances of voter fraud of which he was aware, suggesting that Mr.
Gessler did not actually have any cases that could be prosecuted.144 County clerks also demanded that
Gessler turn over evidence of voter fraud, insisting that they were not aware of any such instances.145
The legislative debates over proof of citizenship mirrored those over voter ID. Proponents claimed that
proof of citizenship requirements are needed to prevent non-citizens from illegally voting in elections.
In several states, proponents claimed to have uncovered evidence of such illegal voting. Colorado
Secretary of State Scott Gessler, for example, claimed that up to 11,805 non-citizens were registered
to vote in Colorado,146 while Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach claimed to have found 67 noncitizens illegally registered to vote in Kansas.147 These claims were hotly disputed, and they have since
been debunked.148 Nonetheless, Representative Gregg Harper (R-MS) called the finding “shocking,”
and at a hearing he chaired on the topic, said, “[w]e simply cannot have an electoral system that allows
thousands of non-citizens to violate the law and vote in our elections … [w]e must do more to protect
the integrity of our electoral processes.”149
Opponents, on the other hand, claimed that proof of citizenship requirements exclude large numbers
of eligible voters, pointing out that millions of eligible Americans—at least 7% according to a leading
study by the Brennan Center150— do not have ready access to the documents needed to prove citizenship.
As Tennessee State Senator Thelma Harper said, “[i]t hampers people who want to be a part of the
system.”151 Opponents further disputed the claim that there is a problem of non-citizen voting in
American elections, pointing out that only a miniscule number of non-citizens have been found to
have voted illegally, and that it is already easy to catch non-citizen voters since they leave a clear paper
trail.152

Proof of Citizenship Legislation

Introduced (Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas.)
Passed (Alabama, Kansas, and Tennessee.)

18 | Brennan Center for Justice

III.	

Making Voter registration harder
In every state but one, citizens must be registered in order to vote. Voter registration facilitates election
administration by enabling election officials to more easily plan for elections, process voters, and prevent
fraud. But registration requirements can also function as a barrier to many eligible voters, preventing
them from participating because of technical hurdles or missed deadlines.153
Experts have long pointed out that the nation’s outdated registration system is among the most
significant barriers to voting, resulting in the disenfranchisement of millions of Americans during every
federal election.154 In 2001, the Carter-Ford National Task Force on Election Reform found that “[t]he
registration laws in force throughout the United States are among the world’s most demanding … [and
are] one reason why voter turnout in the United States is near the bottom of the developed world.”155
This impact has not abated: around 3 million Americans tried to vote in the 2008 Presidential election
but could not, due to voter registration problems.156
The general thrust of the law over the past few decades has been to ease registration requirements
to make it easier for eligible citizens to get on the voter rolls. The most significant advance was the
National Voter Registration Act of 1993, also known as the “Motor Voter” law, which made voter
registration opportunities widely available across the country.157 More recently, states have taken the
lead in modernizing their voter registration systems so that more voters are getting on the rolls and the
rolls are getting more accurate.158
This year, the tide reversed. Instead of efforts to increase voter registration, this year new registration
requirements have been instated that will make it more challenging for eligible citizens to ensure that
they are registered to vote on Election Day. Voter registration regulations range from restrictions on
individuals and groups who help register voters, to efforts to scale back Election Day and same-day
registration, to new rules making it harder for voters to stay registered after they move.

Part 1: Voter Registration Drive Regulations
A.	

Background

Voter registration rates in the United States are routinely lower than they are in other democracies
around the world: more than a quarter of voting-age Americans are not registered and thus cannot
vote.159 This is in part because, unlike in other democracies, U.S. state governments do not assume the
responsibility of getting voters onto the rolls; instead, we rely on individual voters to ensure that they
are registered. Community-based voter registration drives play an important role in encouraging and
assisting other citizens to register to vote. Restrictions on voter registration drive activity have a direct
impact on who has access to voter registration and who gets registered to vote.
Although community-based voter registration drives have been around in some form for decades,
Congress helped expand such voter registration activity by passing the National Voter Registration Act
of 1993 (NVRA).160 Among other things, the NVRA greatly simplified voter registration application

voting LAW CHANGES | 19

forms, required states to follow uniform rules for accepting those forms, and required them to make
blank forms generally available “with particular emphasis on making them available for organized
voter registration programs.”161 As a result, civic groups were easily able to obtain and circulate voter
registration forms to potential voters who might not otherwise register or become engaged in the
electoral process.
Voter registration drives have become an increasingly important registration method in the past decade,
especially for low-income citizens, students, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, and people
with disabilities. For example, in the 2004 general election, large-scale voter registration drives report
assisting almost 10 million citizens to register to vote, contributing to a surge in new registrations and
increased turnout in that election. In one county in Florida alone, voter registration organizations were
responsible for registering 62.7% of all newly registered voters.162 Nationally, Census data show that
Hispanic and African-American voters are approximately twice as likely to register to vote through a
voter registration drive as white voters.163
Voting rights advocates point to increased voter registration rates, especially among minority, lowincome, and younger citizens, as a positive effect of voter registration drives and a reason to expand
them. They also cite recent falling voter registration rates as a reason to encourage voter registration
drives. The 2010 election saw a plunge in new voter registrations, as new voter registrations in 2010
were down almost 17% from the 2006 cycle.164 This was accompanied by a dramatic decrease in voter
registration drive activity, for the first time in years. But voter registration drives have unfortunately
become an increasingly controversial political topic.
Over the past few years, there has been a growing effort to push back against voter registration drives.
Opponents have argued that voter registration drives are susceptible to fraud, citing allegations of
fraud related to ACORN, a defunct organization that focused on registering low-income voters.165
Presidential candidate John McCain cited allegedly fraudulent registration cards submitted by
ACORN as “one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of
democracy.”166 Other opponents have argued that voter registration should be made more difficult to
reflect the importance of the right to vote.167 At the extreme end of the spectrum, some have argued
that by specifically empowering low-income voters to register, voter registration drives are “antisocial
and un-American.”168
Recently, a number of state legislatures have pushed legislation to regulate and restrict communitybased voter registration drives. This extensive regulation of voter registration drive activity is a unique
government regulation of private political activity. These regulations have serious consequences for
citizens’ ability to organize and conduct voter registration drives; for example, the recent Florida
law imposing a set of new restrictions on third-party voter registration activity (discussed at length
below) has resulted in the volunteer-based League of Women Voters placing a moratorium on all voter
registration work because the law imposes too great a burden on voter registration. The type and extent
of laws governing voter registration have a direct impact on who gets to participate in the process, and
who is permitted to assist them in doing so.

20 | Brennan Center for Justice

B.	

Roundup of Legislative Developments

Bills placing new restrictions on voter registration groups have been proposed in at least seven
states—California (passed in both houses; awaiting governor’s action), Florida, Illinois (pending),
Mississippi (failed), Nevada (restrictions removed by amendment), New Mexico (failed), North
Carolina (pending), and Texas.
These bills have been signed into law in Florida and Texas. Florida and Texas stand out as two states
that have long histories of restricting voter registration drives, and the new laws passed in this session
will make both states further outliers in limiting this activity. Neither state had reported cases of
registration fraud linked to voter registration drives in the past election cycle, nor any other apparent
precipitating cause for the further regulations imposed by these bills.

C.	

What the Bills Say

Although the bills seeking to regulate voter registration drives vary in their content, there are several
recurring elements. Almost universally, these bills would require citizen registration groups to register
with the state before undertaking a voter registration drive.169 They may also require special training
for volunteers; the use of special forms, disclosure, and reporting systems; or short deadlines for
the submission of voter registration forms. Violation of these rules, or registering voters outside the
mandated system, usually carries criminal or civil penalties. The legislation that succeeded this year is
described below.
Florida. Florida’s House Bill 1355, a mammoth 158-page omnibus bill, was signed by Governor Rick
Scott on May 19th.170 The new law requires voter registration groups to pre-register with the state
before engaging in any voter registration activity, requires every volunteer or employee to sign a sworn
affidavit under penalty of perjury listing all criminal penalties for false registration, and mandates that
every registration form collected by a voter registration group be physically received by county officials
within 48 hours of signature or face strict civil penalties and fines. In order to comply with this tight
turnaround time, groups must write the precise date and time when an individual completes a voter
registration form on each registration form. The law also requires voter registration groups to place
their government-issued organizational code on each form they obtain from elections officials or receive
from a voter, to track the precise numbers of both state and federal voter registration forms that each
group obtains or collects, and to submit those figures in monthly electronic reports to the state.
Texas. Texas introduced a series of bills that would limit the ability of persons to register others to vote,
two of which were signed into law (H.B. 1570 and H.B. 2194).171 H.B. 1570 requires that anyone who
registers voters first be deputized and attend a mandatory training; the law delegates the development
of the training to the Secretary of State, and explicitly permits an “exam” at the end of the training.172
H.B. 2194 requires anyone registering others to be a Texas resident and qualified voter, and prohibits
performance-based compensation for anyone who is paid to register voters.173

voting LAW CHANGES | 21

D.	

Legislative Battles

The two bills signed into law in 2011 that restrict voter registration drive activity were uniformly
supported by Republican legislators. In Florida, the law passed along straight party lines in the House
of Representatives, with all Democrats opposing. Democrats were joined by two Republicans voting
against the bill in the State Senate.174 In Texas, which passed two companion bills restricting thirdparty voter registration, one bill passed unanimously,175 while its companion bill passed only the Senate
unanimously,176 with seven House members, all Democrats of color, voting against the bill.177
	
Florida History
Florida has a history of implementing restrictive rules for voter registration drives—rules that have been
successfully challenged before. (The Brennan Center for Justice has litigated twice in the past on behalf
of Florida civic groups to challenge these restrictions.178)
The first major imposition of restrictions on voter registration drives occurred in 2005, a year after
ACORN’s community organizing work resulted in enough signatures to place a citizen initiative on the
ballot to increase Florida’s minimum wage. The law required third-party voter registration groups to
meet a new ten-day deadline to submit registration forms to election officials, no matter how far away
the registration deadline, and imposed hefty and potentially unlimited fines for each form submitted
after that time under a strict liability scheme. The law specifically excluded political parties from its new
restrictions.
On May 18, 2006, the League of Women Voters of Florida and other voter registration groups and filed a
lawsuit in federal court challenging as unconstitutional the 2005 Florida law regulating voter registration
drives.179 On August 28, 2006, a federal court in Miami blocked enforcement of the Florida law.180
After the state appealed that ruling, the Florida state legislature went back and reenacted a similar law
with some changes in 2007, which the League and others also challenged.181 During the lawsuit, the
Secretary of State agreed not to implement the law before an administrative rulemaking process was
completed. Civic groups were therefore able to resume their regular registration activities leading up to
the 2008 election. In early 2009, the Florida Division of Elections proposed a final rule implementing
the challenged statute in a way that reduced the negative impact on voter registration groups. The
parties agreed to settle the lawsuit, and on June 17, 2009, the case was dismissed. The 2007 law has
since been in effect.
2011 Debate in Florida
Between 2009 and 2011, there was no controversy in Florida involving voter registration and indeed
nothing to suggest why the state legislature again took up the subject of restricting voter registration
drives. Proponents of H.B. 1355, the omnibus voting bill that included new restrictions on voter

22 | Brennan Center for Justice

registration drives, merely claimed that they sought to reduce fraud. They also made it very clear that they
wanted to make voting harder. The bill’s sponsor, Florida State Senator Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton),
was quoted as saying “But I have to tell you, I don’t have a problem making it harder. I want people
in Florida to want to vote as bad as that person in Africa who walks 200 miles across the desert. This
should not be easy. This should be something you should do with a passion.”182 Florida State Senator
Ellen Bogdanoff agreed: “Democracy should not be a convenience,” she said.183
The new Florida law garnered broad opposition from civic and minority rights groups and prompted tens of
thousands of emails to Governor Rick Scott urging him to veto the bill. Nonetheless, the law quickly passed
on straight party lines and was signed into law, over strong opposition and condemnation by the Democratic
Party. Shortly after its enactment, the all-volunteer Florida League of Women Voters and a variety of other
voter registration groups announced they would discontinue their voter registration activities in the state.
The League explained that the new law “imposes an undue burden on groups such as ours that work to
register voters,” 184 and that “we cannot and will not place thousands of volunteers at risk, subjecting them to
a process in which one late form could result in their facing financial and civil penalties.”185
The Florida law is currently being considered by a federal court for “preclearance,” federal approval
required for jurisdictions covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act because of a history of
discrimination. Section 5 requires covered jurisdictions to supply evidence that changes to a state’s
election laws will not harm minority voters before those changes may go into effect. Five of Florida’s
sixty-seven counties are covered jurisdictions, where H.B. 1355 remains on hold awaiting preclearance;
Secretary of State Browning has ordered election supervisors in the sixty-two non-covered counties to
implement the law. Voting rights advocates have submitted evidence to both the Department of Justice
and the federal court arguing that the new restrictions on voter registration drives, as well as the bill’s
other provisions reducing early voting days and eliminating cross-county address changes at the polls,
will disproportionately impact Florida’s minority voters.

voting LAW CHANGES | 23

Impact of New Voting Laws on Minority Voters
Opponents of the bills and laws detailed in this report frequently point to their negative impact on
the ability of African American and Latino citizens to vote, and with good reason: there is substantial
evidence that these laws will make it far more difficult for minorities than whites to vote.
For instance, Florida’s new law—which places so many new burdens on voter registration drive
activity that most groups have discontinued their voter registration activities in the state—will
almost certainly hit African American and Hispanic voters hardest. In Florida, U.S. Census
Bureau data from the 2004 and 2008 election cycles show that both African-Americans and
Hispanics rely more heavily than white voters on community-based voter registration drives; in
fact, African-American and Hispanic citizens in Florida are more than twice as likely to register
to vote through such drives as white voters.186
Similarly, the most restrictive voter ID laws, which only allow a small number of specified
government issued photo IDs to vote, seem certain to create more burdens for minority citizens.
According to one study, as many as 25% of African-American voters do not possess a current and
valid form of government issued photo ID, compared to 11% of voters of all races.187 And the
kinds of government issued IDs that are permitted in the various state laws often put minorities
at an even greater disadvantage. For instance, as noted above, the new Texas voter ID law, permits
voters to use a concealed handgun license as proof of identity, but precludes voters from using a
student ID, even if the student ID was issued by a state university. As the Texas Department of
Public Safety recently noted, African Americans are significantly underrepresented among the
state’s handgun license holders. Of the more than 100,000 concealed handgun licenses issued in
Texas last year, only 7.69% were issued to African Americans, even though African Americans
constitute 12.1% of the state’s voting age population. In contrast, African Americans are more
likely to attend a public university in Texas than whites. According to the 2009 American
Community Survey, 8.0% of voting-age African Americans in Texas attended a public university
compared with only 5.8% of voting age whites.188
New restrictions on early voting will also have their biggest impact on people of color. Opponents
of these restrictions have been particularly angered by the efforts to eliminate Sunday early voting,
which they see as explicitly targeting African-American voters. Florida eliminated early voting on
the last Sunday before Election Day, and Ohio has eliminated early voting on Sundays entirely.
There is substantial statistical and anecdotal evidence that African Americans (and to a lesser extent
Hispanics) vote on Sundays in proportionately far greater numbers than whites.189 For instance,
in the 2008 general election in Florida, 33.2% of those who voted early on the last Sunday before
Election Day were African American and 23.6% were Hispanic, whereas African Americans
constituted just 13.4% of all early voters for all early voting days, and Hispanics just 11.6%.190

24 | Brennan Center for Justice

Part 2: Eliminating Same-Day Registration
A.	

Background

Prior to 2011, eight states—Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin,
Wyoming—allowed for Election Day registration (“EDR”), meaning that citizens could register and
vote at their local polling place on Election Day.191 Maine was the first state to adopt EDR, in 1973;
Iowa was the most recent, in 2008.192 In 2007, North Carolina adopted same day registration for
the early voting period, but not on Election Day.193 Beginning in 2008, Ohio allowed same day
registration for the first week of early voting.194 (Other states provide for EDR in certain circumstances;
for instance, in Connecticut and Rhode Island, voters who register on Election Day may vote for
presidential candidates only.)
Voting rights advocates have long praised EDR.195 Because it has existed in some states for nearly forty
years, there is a substantial record of its benefits. States with EDR have consistently had higher turnout
than states without, and the top five states for voter turnout in 2008 were all EDR states.196 There is
also evidence that EDR specifically increases turnout among young voters.197
Proponents of EDR point out that it greatly reduces the use of provisional ballots198 (under federal law,
provisional ballots are provided to voters when there is a question about the voter’s eligibility, very often
related to whether they are properly registered). Most voting rights advocates prefer the use of regular
ballots to provisional ballots where possible, because a significant percentage of provisional ballots go
uncounted in every election.199
The most common objection to EDR is that it “invites” voter fraud.200 This has been the main public
explanation provided by supporters of bills to end same day registration, though some have also argued that
same day registration imposes administrative burdens on those running the polls on Election Day.201
Bills to eliminate same day registration in 2011 were uniformly sponsored by Republicans. The bills
that passed the Montana and Ohio legislatures were unanimously opposed by Democratic legislators in
the legislative chambers that voted on them.202
The partisan split over Election Day Registration has not always existed. When Maine became the
first state to adopt EDR in 1973, the Republicans controlled both houses of the Legislature, and the
proposal passed unanimously.203

B.	

Roundup of Legislative Developments

Bills to eliminate EDR or same day registration were introduced in five states: Maine, Montana, New
Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio. The bills in Maine and Ohio have been enacted, though both
bills may be overturned in the coming months by ballot initiative processes currently underway in
each state. The bill in Montana passed the legislature, but was vetoed by Governor Brian Schweitzer on
March 4, 2011.204 The bill in North Carolina is still pending.

voting LAW CHANGES | 25

C.	

What the Bills Say

Maine. On June 21, Governor Paul LePage signed a bill to repeal Maine’s 38-year old law allowing
same-day voter registration.205 It was the oldest EDR law in the country. The Montana bill that was
vetoed similarly would have eliminated EDR in that state.
Ohio. Beginning in 2008, the State of Ohio adopted what effectively became same day registration
during the first week of early voting.206 In both 2008 and 2010, the first week of early voting overlapped
with the final week before the registration deadline, and meant that citizens were able to register and
vote on the same day.207 An omnibus election reform bill, signed by Governor John Kasich on July 1,
substantially reduced the early voting period, thereby eliminating “Golden Week,” and Ohio’s de facto
same day registration period.
North Carolina. Current law in North Carolina allows eligible voters to register to vote or update
their registration information during the early voting period. A bill currently under consideration in
the North Carolina Senate would eliminate same day registration (it would also reduce the early voting
period, as discussed below) and the ability of voters to update their registration information during
early voting.208

The Special Case of Ohio’s Referendum
Ohio is no stranger to partisan fights over election law. With Republicans in control of both the
Legislature and the executive branch this year, it is not particularly surprising that the state passed a
new omnibus election law dramatically altering the state’s election code. It was signed by Governor
Kasich on July 1 and passed along party lines—without a single Democratic vote.209 The bill,
supported by the current Republican secretary of state of Ohio, impacted many areas of election
administration.210 Among the most significant changes relevant to this report, it cut the in-person
early voting period by two thirds, eliminated early voting on Sundays, eliminated the state’s de facto
“same day registration” week during the early voting period, and forbade county boards of election
from mailing out return-paid absentee ballot applications or absentee ballots.211 Democrats argued
that the bill would suppress votes, particularly votes of groups that traditionally favor Democrats,
like African-Americans.212
Unlike minority parties in most other states, Democrats had a weapon that allowed them to fight
changes to the election code even after they were passed into law: the Ohio referendum. Under the
unique rules of that state, if opponents of the bill get enough signatures, all of the new provisions
will be stayed until the referendum vote in November 2012.213 Former Democratic Secretary
of State Jennifer Brunner has led a petition drive to do just that.214 If organizers gather enough
signatures by September 29 to qualify for the referendum in November 2012, none of the bill’s
provisions will go into effect before the referendum.215 That would mean, among other things, that
Ohio would continue to operate under its old rules for early and absentee voting in 2012.

26 | Brennan Center for Justice

D.	

Legislative Battles

Efforts to repeal same day registration fell almost entirely along partisan lines. In states where repeal
proposals received votes, most or all Republican legislators supported the repeal, and all Democratic
legislators opposed it.216
A primary argument of those seeking repeal was that same day registration increased the possibility of
fraud. “When you’re able to register and vote on the same day, there’s simply not the time to go and
make sure that the registration is proper,” argued Ohio State Senator Mark Wagoner.217 Legislators
seeking repeal also frequently emphasized the responsibility of the voter to ensure she could vote on
Election Day. Maine Senate Republican Nichi Farnham stated “If it is something that’s so important,
our right to vote, then why would it be a problem to plan ahead to register?”218
In contrast to other states, proponents of the EDR repeal
in Maine often placed more emphasis on the administrative
“The notion that same day voter
burden of EDR than fraud, perhaps because of EDR’s long
history there, and the absence of evidence of voter fraud registration leads to voter fraud is a
during that time.219 Republican Secretary of State Charles myth . . . This is a solution in search of
E. Summers, Jr. wrote in an op-ed that “I have never argued a problem.”
that this is a measure necessary to prevent voter fraud … In
—Maine Rep. Mark Dion
fact, I have stressed repeatedly that this bill has been designed
to relieve some of the stress on the system.”220 Proponents of
EDR in Maine have responded to this argument by pointing
out that elimination of EDR means the state must adopt a system for provisional ballots,221 which
comes with its own additional costs and administrative burdens.222
Not surprisingly, opponents of repeal were unanimous in disputing claims that same day registration
invited fraud. Montana Representative Bryce Bennett pointed to the fact that the current Secretary of
State and two of her predecessors all argued that EDR had not led to any fraud.223 Maine Representative
Mark Dion made similar comments about EDR in his state. “The notion that same day voter registration
leads to voter fraud is a myth . . . This is a solution in search of a problem.”224
Opponents of repeal also pointed to the benefits of EDR, including increased registration among the
young and those who moved shortly before Election Day, greater voter turnout, and greater convenience
for voters. Montana Secretary of State Linda McColloch argued that since its passage in 2006, 19,000
people registered to vote on Election Day in Montana, and that the repeal attempt ran “counter to the
core freedoms of our democracy … [i]f you support freedom, and you support democracy, you cannot
support a bill that will turn your neighbors away at the polls.”225
Focus: Maine and the People’s Veto
Because Maine has a referendum process known as “the People’s Veto,” which allows Maine citizens to
reverse a legislative decision, it is not clear that the repeal of EDR will be in effect on Election Day. On

voting LAW CHANGES | 27

June 21, the same day that Governor Paul LePage signed the bill to repeal EDR, a coalition led by the
League of Women Voters of Maine filed papers to launch a People’s Veto campaign. They have gathered
enough signatures to get the question on the November 2011 ballot.226 It will appear as question
number one on the ballot.227

Part 3: Other Restrictions on Voter Registration
While attempts to limit voter registration drives and same day registration were the most widespread
efforts to restrict voter registration this year, there have been additional, state-specific efforts that will
make it more difficult for voters to ensure that they are registered and able to vote at their current
addresses on Election Day. We provide two examples of these new limitations below.
	
Florida. Though Florida does not have Election Day registration, it does have a longstanding policy
permitting voters who changed their address before an election to update their new address at the polls
on Election Day, where the voters’ existing registrations were cross-checked in a state database before
the voters were given a ballot. The Florida omnibus bill eliminated that right. This has the potential to
disenfranchise a significant number of voters in Florida, especially those who move and are unaware of
the change in law or who move within the state after the registration deadline.
Wisconsin. Wisconsin also worked to limit voter registration possibilities. Though commonly known
for its voter ID provisions, there are other voter registration restrictions in the new Wisconsin election
law, including extending the length of residency period before an eligible person may register to vote
from ten to twenty-eight days.

Legislation Affecting Voter Registration
(Election Day Registration and Third Party Voter Registration)

Introduced (California, Illinois, Montana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and North Carolina.)
Passed (Florida, Maine, Ohio, and Texas.)

28 | Brennan Center for Justice

IV.	MAKING VOTING HARDER: RESTRICTING EARLY IN-PERSON
AND MAIL-IN ABSENTEE VOTING
A.	

Background

For years, the growth of early voting—through in-person early voting sites and no-fault absentee voting
by mail—has been dramatic, and seemed unstoppable. 2011 marks the first year that inexorable progress
may have stalled. Early in-person and absentee voting have come under attack by legislatures around
the country; these attacks have been particularly successful against early in-person voting.
The numbers tell the story of early voting’s growth in just the last decade. In 2000, an overwhelming
majority of Americans still voted at their local polling places on Election Day; less than 4% voted at
early voting sites, and only 10% voted by mail. By 2008, more than a third of American voters voted
early. The percentage of Americans voting at early voting sites had increased nearly five-fold, to 18%,
and the percentage voting by mail nearly doubled to 19%.228
The primary benefit of early voting is convenience. Voters are provided more options and days during
which they can vote.229 While there is little evidence that early and absentee voting increase turnout,230
there is strong anecdotal evidence that it makes election administration easier, reducing the crush of
voters at the polling place on a single day.231 In the past, that Election Day crush has led to hours-long
lines, and resulted in the de facto disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of voters.232
Through much of its growth, early voting has had strong support from both Democrats and
Republicans.233 In 2011, most, though not all, of the new restrictions on early voting have been
proposed by Republicans and adopted by Republican-controlled legislatures.
As discussed below, the reasons most often provided for restricting early voting were cost and
administrative burden, though they sometimes also included arguments that the restrictions would
reduce fraud.234 Opponents of the new restrictions frequently disputed the alleged savings,235 and many
argued that the changes were really a response to the success in 2008 of Barack Obama’s campaign to
get the candidate’s supporters—and in particular black voters—to vote before Election Day.236

B.	

Roundup of Legislative Developments

At least nine states—Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio,
Tennessee, West Virginia—all considered bills to reduce their respective early voting periods this year.237
At least four states—Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, and Wisconsin—saw the introduction of bills to
change or add new restrictions on absentee voting.238
Texas introduced a law that would omit early voting locations from official notices of a general or
special election, but the measure did not pass.239 In Wisconsin, a provision to eliminate no-excuse
absentee voting was later removed from the state’s voter ID bill.240

voting LAW CHANGES | 29

Ultimately, laws reducing early voting were passed and signed into law in five states: Florida, Georgia,
Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Pending bills remain in North Carolina, Georgia, and New
Jersey.

C.	

What the Bills Say

Ohio. As already discussed, Governor Kasich of Ohio signed into law an omnibus election reform
bill on July 1. Among other things, this new law also substantially reduced early in-person voting
and access to vote by mail. Under the new law, the in-person voting period was cut by more than
two thirds, from thirty-five days to eleven.241 Early voting on Saturday afternoon and Sunday was
eliminated entirely.242
Controversially, the new law also prohibited county boards from mailing absentee ballot applications
to all voters, or prepaying postage on absent voter’s ballot applications.243 Both practices were employed
by Franklin (Columbus) and Cuyahoga (Cleveland) counties in past elections, and were credited by
some voting rights advocates and election officials with reducing congestion at the polls on Election
Day, and eliminating equity issues associated with requiring voters to pay to mail in their ballots.244
Proponents of this ban, including Secretary of State Jon Husted, supported it on the grounds that all
counties should adopt the same practices with regards to absentee ballots, and some counties could not
afford to mail absentee ballot applications to all voters or prepay postage on those applications.245 The
impact of this law may have been largely thwarted by the Cuyahoga County Council, which voted to
have its public works department oversee mailings of absentee ballot applications to all voters (the ban
only applied to elections boards). As a result, Secretary Husted—arguing that uniformity in county
practices was of paramount concern—decided that the State will mail absentee ballot request forms to
voters in all counties ahead of the 2012 presidential election.246
Florida. The same Florida law that led the League of Women Voters to discontinue its voter registration
operations also reduces the early voting period from two weeks to one. Florida also eliminated the
Sunday before Election Day as an early voting day.247
Other states with new laws. In Georgia, on May 13, Governor Nathan Deal signed H.B. 92 into law,
which reduces the early voting period from forty-five to twenty-one days.248 In Tennessee, in June,
Governor Bill Haslam signed S.B. 923249 which shortens the early voting period by two days. In West
Virginia, on March 18, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed S.B. 581, which reduces early voting by five
days, but allows early voting on Saturdays for the first time.250
Pending bills. In Georgia, H.B. 138 would limit when in-person absentee ballots may be cast by requiring
that when an absentee ballot is requested in person during the early voting period, the absentee ballot must
be cast within the registrar’s office at that same time.251 In New Jersey, S.B.1596 would end no-excuse
absentee voting.252 In North Carolina, S.B. 657 would cut down the early voting period by one week and
eliminate Sunday voting.253 Another election law bill, S.B. 47, also originally contained a provision that
would eliminate Sunday early voting. That provision, however, has since been removed from the bill. 254

30 | Brennan Center for Justice

D.	

Legislative Battles

This year saw a substantial push in several states to reduce or, in some cases, eliminate these programs, and
substantial resistance to those efforts. Of the five states that reduced early voting, four—Florida, Georgia,
Ohio and Tennessee—saw sharp partisan divisions over those reductions. In all four cases, Republicans
had uniform control over the legislative and executive branches, and passed the reductions over frequently
vociferous objection by Democrats.255 In the fifth state, West Virginia, the law reducing the early voting
period also added early voting on Saturdays for the first time. It received bipartisan support.256
Until this year, the expansion of early voting seemed unstoppable. In 1972, just two states allowed nofault absentee voting and five allowed early in-person voting. By 2010, thirty-two states and the District
of Columbia allowed no-fault absentee voting, while thirty states and the District of Columbia allowed
in-person early voting.257
The Debate
While some of the bills that reduced in-person early voting also put new restrictions on absentee voting by
mail, it was the reduction of in-person early voting that received the most attention, and was the source

Legislation Affecting Early and/or Absentee Voting

Introduced (Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina and Wisconsin.)
Passed (Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia.)

voting LAW CHANGES | 31

of the most bitter disagreements between the political parties. Proponents of such reductions usually
praised the convenience of early voting, while arguing that it needed to be limited to reduce costs and
administrative burdens on election officials. In Georgia, Republican Representative Bill Hembree stated
that “We need to maintain early voting, which is very popular, [but] we also need to keep in mind that
cities and counties are having economic problems. This bill still allows people to vote early, but saves
money.”258 Supporters of a bill to reduce early voting in North Carolina made similar points. The Herald
Sun editorialized “this is not a black and white issue, as some who want to inject race into everything are
trying to say. This is a green and white issue ... as in saving the taxpayers a few greenbacks.”259
Democrats and others who opposed these measures were less sure of the motives behind the bills and
disputed the cost savings. In Georgia, Democratic State Senator Donzella James said, “We must provide
every way possible for people to vote. It’s not costing that much. The staff is already there and the facilities
are available.”260 In North Carolina, George Gilbert, Director of Elections for Guilford County, argued
that a reduction of early voting would not bring any savings. “If early voting begins later, a crush of voters
will require more early voting sites to accommodate the crowds. There won’t be any cost savings.”
Some Democrats and editorial boards argued that the real motivation for reducing early voting was
the success of the Obama campaign in using early voting in 2008. Morgan Jackson, a Democratic
consultant stated, “This is pure partisanship … they see the numbers that Obama rolled up in early
voting (and) they want to eliminate it.”261 A New York Times editorial made a similar argument. “Early
voting skyrocketed to a third of the vote in 2008, rising particularly in the South and among black
voters supporting Barack Obama,” the Times wrote, adding “and that, of course, is why Republican
lawmakers in the South are trying desperately to cut it back.”262 The suspicion that partisanship, rather
than cost savings, was the main motivation for new early voting restrictions was particularly strong for
proposals that eliminated or significantly reduced early voting on Sundays, thought to be a day of high
turnout for black voters.263

32 | Brennan Center for Justice

Early Voting on Sunday and the Black Vote
Among the most controversial early voting reductions has been the partial or full eliminations
of early voting on Sunday. Ohio has eliminated in-person early voting on Sundays entirely,264
Florida has eliminated it on the last Sunday before Election Day,265 and a North Carolina bill,
proposes to eliminate all in-person early voting on Sundays.266 Critics have cried foul, arguing
that these measures are “aimed squarely at reducing African-American turnout.”267 In particular,
these critics charge, it is common for Black voters to go to the polls in large groups on Sundays,
after church,268 and for some African-American churches to organize “Souls to the Polls” voting
drives.269 In Florida, a local Democratic club leader noted that “Churches had either hired
buses, or used their buses to take people to the polls, or even suspending [sic] the service on
the Sunday before.”270 The Palm Beach Post stated that “[m]ore than half of the black voters
in the [November 2008] election voted before Election Day and many of them went on [the]
final Sunday.”271 In Ohio, WilliAnn Moore, coordinator of the northwest Ohio district of the
NAACP, labeled Ohio’s new legislation “voter-suppression legislation,” taking specific aim at the
part of the law that eliminated Sunday early voting, noting that it had become a regular practice
in the black community for voters to “pile into vans after church to cast their ballots.”272
Where available, the evidence supports the contention that black (and to a lesser extent Hispanic)
voters used Sunday early voting in numbers proportionally greater than other groups. For instance,
in the 2008 general election in Florida, 33.2% of those who voted early on the last Sunday before
election day were black and 23.6% were Hispanic, whereas blacks constituted 13.4% of all early
voters statewide (for all early voting days) and Hispanics constituted 11.6%.273
Among those who supported these laws, which reduced early voting in additional ways, there
was little public explanation of why Sunday was specifically targeted, other than the general
argument that the elimination was needed to reduce costs and administrative burden. In North
Carolina, Senator Jim Davis, the sponsor of his state’s bill, opined that “We were just trying to
minimize the time early voting polls were open ... so the expense is not so great for local election
boards ... [e]verybody who wants to vote still can vote.” One of his colleagues, Senate Leader
Phil Berger, got closer to the issue of eliminating Sunday voting stating, “It’s my understanding
that there are some folks who feel that Sundays should not be mixed politics and religion, that it’s
probably better to have a day that folks take a day off from politics. That’s one of the comments
that I’ve heard.”274

voting LAW CHANGES | 33

V.	MAKING IT HARDER TO RESTORE VOTING RIGHTS
A.	

Background

Disenfranchisement after criminal conviction remains the single most significant barrier to voting
rights in the United States. Nationally, 5.3 million American citizens are not allowed to vote because
of a criminal conviction; of those, 4 million have completed their sentences and live, work, and raise
families in their communities.275 This disenfranchisement disproportionally impacts African-American
men. Nationwide, 13% of African-American men have lost the right to vote, a rate that is seven times
the national average.276 Given current rates of incarceration, three in ten of the next generation of
African-American men across the country can expect to lose the right to vote at some point in their
lifetime.277
These voting bans are exceptional among democratic nations. The United States is one of only two
countries that disenfranchise large numbers of persons for lengthy or indefinite periods after they have
completed their time in prison.278
While the history of felon disenfranchisement laws in the United States dates to the nation’s earliest
days,279 its greatest growth came in the decades after the Civil War. By 1900, thirty-eight states had
some type of criminal voting restriction, most of which disenfranchised convicted individuals until they
received a pardon.280
The last decade and a half saw a striking reversal of these restrictions. Since 1997, twenty-three states
either restored voting rights or eased the restoration process; nine of these states repealed or amended
lifetime disenfranchisement laws.281 These changes occurred under both Republican and Democratic
governors.282
Iowa and Florida saw the most recent dramatic restoration of voting rights. In Iowa, in 2005, Democratic
Governor Tom Vilsack issued an executive Order ending the state’s permanent disenfranchisement
policy (at the time, Iowa was one of only three states with such a broad restriction on voting) and
restoring voting rights to 80,000 Iowans.283
Like Iowa, Florida also had a notoriously severe law modified by executive action. Prior to 2007, nearly
one million Floridians were permanently disenfranchised in the state; almost a quarter of them were
African-American. In 2007, Republican Governor Charlie Crist amended the State’s clemency rules in
an attempt to streamline the restoration process for some individuals with non-violent convictions. Since
restoration rules were streamlined, the voting rights of at least 150,000 Floridians were restored.284

B.	

Roundup of Legislation and Executive Actions

Last year marked the end of fifteen years of progress restoring the right to vote to formerly incarcerated
persons. Specifically, the dramatic changes in Iowa and Florida were reversed. By executive action, the
Governors Terry Branstad of Iowa and Rick Scott of Florida, both Republicans, returned their state

34 | Brennan Center for Justice

policies to de facto permanent disenfranchisement for all citizens convicted of felonies. In Florida,
this has meant that 87,000 persons who were in the “backlog” of cases waiting for restoration under
Governor Crist’s new rules will not get their voting rights restored.
Also in 2011, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, also a Republican, vetoed a bill that would have
automatically restored voting rights to anyone who honorably completed a felony sentence of
imprisonment, probation, or parole. The bill had received bipartisan support in the Legislature.
Five states saw bills further restricting the ability of people with criminal convictions to participate in
the political process: Alabama, Maryland, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia. None of
these bills have passed.285

C.	

Content of Executive Actions

Florida. Governor Scott changed Florida’s clemency rules, and the change denies the right to vote to
hundreds of thousands, maybe as many as a million, Florida citizens. These changes make Florida the
most punitive state in the country when it comes to disenfranchising people with criminal convictions
in their past.
The Florida Constitution denies the right to vote for life to anyone with a felony conviction, unless he
is granted clemency by the governor. It essentially gives the governor, an elected official, the power to
decide who will (or will not) be allowed to vote in the next election.
The new clemency rules286 not only roll back reforms287 passed by former Governor Charlie Crist,
but they are far more restrictive than those in place under former Governor Jeb Bush. Under the new
rules, people with even nonviolent convictions must wait five years after they complete all terms of
their sentence before even being allowed to apply for restoration of civil rights. The clock resets if an
individual is arrested for even a misdemeanor during that five-year period, even if no charges are ever
filed. Some people must wait seven years before being able to apply, and must appear for a hearing
before the clemency board. A provision allowing people to apply for a waiver of the rules, in place
under Governors Bush and Crist, is eliminated. Everyone applying for clemency must provide various
documents with their application—Bush and Crist had made an exception for those applying for
restoration of civil rights. Florida’s law is now the most restrictive in the country.288
Iowa. Governor Branstad, almost immediately after taking office, revoked Executive Order 42, a
policy signed in 2005 by former Governor Tom Vilsack, which automatically restored voting rights
to individuals with criminal convictions once they had completed their sentences.289 Under the new
policy, Iowa has become one of just four states that permanently disenfranchise all citizens after a
criminal conviction. Prior to Executive Order 42, Iowa disenfranchised adults at a rate twice the
national average, and had the nation’s highest rate of African-American disenfranchisement.290
Nevada. Governor Sandoval vetoed Assembly Bill 301, a bill passed with bipartisan support in the State
Legislature. The bill would have streamlined and simplified Nevada’s complicated laws governing the
restoration of voting rights after a criminal sentence, and would have automatically restored voting rights to
anyone who honorably completed a felony sentence of imprisonment, probation, or parole.

voting LAW CHANGES | 35

D.	

The Debate

Governor Scott’s and Governor Branstad’s actions actions to reverse recent voting rights gains for
persons with felony convictions were the subject of considerable publicity and debate in their states.
The debate in Florida and Iowa mirrored the debate nationally about restoring the voting rights of
formerly incarcerated persons. Those favoring further restrictions argued that persons convicted of
felonies needed to “earn” the right to vote again,291 while those opposed to harsher restrictions argued
that preventing these citizens from voting was counter-productive and anti-democratic,292 further
penalizing those who had already completed their prison sentence,293 and undermining the state’s
interest in re-integrating such citizens into society and reducing recidivism.294

Legislation Restricting the Ability of
People with Criminal Convinctions to Vote

Introduced (Alabama, Maryland, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia.)
Executive Action (Florida and Iowa.)

36 | Brennan Center for Justice

ENDNOTES
This estimate is derived as follows: (1) New photo ID laws for voting will be in effect for the 2012 election in five states
(Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin), which have a combined citizen voting age population of just under
29 million. 3.2 million (10.3%) of those potential voters do not have state-issued photo ID. Although Rhode Island’s law
will be in effect in 2012, the requirements are less onerous than those in the other states and so it was excluded. (2) New
proof of citizenship laws will be in effect in three states (Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee), two of which will also have new
photo ID laws. Assuming conservatively that those without proof of citizenship overlap substantially with those without
state-issued photo ID, we excluded those two states. The citizen voting age population in the remaining state (Alabama)
is 3.43 million. Of those potential voters, 240,000 (7%) do not have documentary proof of citizenship. (3) Two states
(Florida and Texas) passed laws restricting voter registration drives, causing all or most of those drives to stop. In 2008,
2.13 million voters registered in Florida and, very conservatively, at least 8.24% or 176,000 of them did so through drives.
At least 501,000 voters registered in Texas, and at least 5.13% or 26,000 of them did so via drives. (4) Maine abolished
Election Day registration. In 2008, 60,000 Maine citizens registered and voted on Election Day. (5) The early voting
period was cut by half or more in three states (Florida, Georgia and Ohio). In 2008, nearly 8 million Americans voted
early in these states. An estimated 1 to 2 million voted on days eliminated by these new laws. (6) Two states (Florida and
Iowa) made it substantially more difficult or impossible for people with past felony convictions to get their voting rights
restored. Up to one million people in Florida could have benefited from the prior practice; based on the rates of restoration
in Florida under the prior policy, 100,000 citizens likely would have gotten their rights restored by 2012. Other voting
restrictions passed this year that are not included in this estimate.

1. 

2.

 e 12 states identified as “swing states” are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, New
Th
Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Virginia. David Lauter, Obama’s Gallup Numbers Show 12 States in Play in 2012,
L.A. Times, Aug. 15, 2011, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/15/news/la-pn-inside-gallup-20110815. The five of those
states that cut back on voting rights are Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, and Ohio. The four of those states with pending
legislation are Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

3.

 ris W. Kobach, Op-Ed. The Case for Voter ID, Wall St. J., May 23, 2011, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052
K
748704816604576333650886790480.html; New State Voting Laws, The Diane Rehm Show (NPR radio broadcast, June
21, 2011), available at http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-06-21/new-state-voting-laws/transcript.

4.

 pponents of strict voter ID laws argue that the impersonation of registered voters at the polls—the only type of voter
O
fraud that voter ID bills have the potential to address—rarely occurs. They note that while there is no credible evidence
that impersonation fraud occurs, reliable evidence proves that photo ID and proof of citizenship bills erect hurdles that
prevent real citizens from voting. The citizens affected are predominantly elderly and indigent voters, and citizens from
minority communities. Brennan Center for Justice, Citizens Without Proof (2006), available at http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/citizens _without_proof_a_survey_of_americans_possession_of_documentary_proo.

5.

J ohn Lewis, Op-Ed, A Poll Tax by Another Name, N.Y. Times, Aug. 26, 2011, available at http://www.nytimes.
com/2011/08/27/opinion/a-poll-tax-by-another-name.html.

6.

J ustin Levitt, The Truth About Voter Fraud, Brennan Center for Justice (2007), available at http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/truthaboutvoterfraud/.

7.

 e most rigorous study on voter ID and turnout to date, recently published in the leading political science methodology
Th
journal, found that stricter voter ID requirements depress turnout, particularly among less educated and lower income
populations. See R. Michael Alvarez et al., An Empirical Bayes Approach to Estimating Ordinal Treatment Effects 26-30 (2010), available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/a5782740e4185414a8_snm6bhfwg.pdf. Some studies suggest
that voter ID laws have only a small or no effect on turnout. See Jason Mycoff et al., The Empirical Effects of Voter-ID Laws:
Present or Absent?, 42 PS: Pol. Sci. and Pol. 121 (2009), available at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFullte
xt?type=1&fid=3260872&jid=PSC&volumeId=42&issueId=01&aid=3260864&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&soci
etyETOCSession=#. But unlike the Alvarez study, these studies use aggregate data, which cannot provide any meaningful
insight into how specific inputs–like voter ID–affect the behavior of individuals within a large group. For a comprehensive
list of studies on voter ID, see Research and Publications on Voter ID, Brennan Center for Justice,
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/research_on_voter_id/ (last visited July 15, 2011).

voting LAW CHANGES | 37

8.

See 42 U.S.C. § 15483(b) (2010).

9.

S ee generally Voter Identification Requirements, Nat’l Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), http://www.
ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16602 (last updated July 13, 2011).

10.

 ommon Cause/Ga. v. Billups, 406 F. Supp. 2d 1326, 1369-70 (N.D. Ga. 2005); Weinschenk v. Missouri, 203 S.W.3d
C
201 (Mo. 2006).

11.

 e Court upheld Indiana’s law on the ground that the “evidence in the record [was] not sufficient” to justify striking
Th
down the whole statute. Crawford v. Marion Cnty. Election Bd., 553 U.S. 181, 200-203 (2008). The Court expressly left
open the possibility of future constitutional challenges to Indiana’s law and other voter ID laws.

12.

 ommon Cause/Ga. v. Billups, 544 F.3d 1340 (11th Cir. 2009); Democratic Party of Ga. v. Perdue, 707 S.E.2d 67 (Ga.
C
2011) (upholding Georgia’s voter ID law against a challenge under the state constitution) Georgia’s initial voter ID law
was previously blocked by a federal court in October 2005. Common Cause/Ga. v. Billups, 406 F. Supp. 2d 1326 (N.D.
Ga. 2005). The court blocked an amended version of that law in July 2006 and again in September 2006. See Common
Cause/Ga. v. Billups, 544 F.3d 1340, 1347-48 (11th Cir. 2009) (discussing injunctions in 2006). A state trial court had
also blocked enforcement of the 2006 version of Georgia’s voter ID law; this decision was later overturned by the Georgia
Supreme Court due to the plaintiff’s lack of standing. Perdue v. Lake, 647 S.E.2d 6 (Ga. 2007).

13.

S ee Brennan Center for Justice, ID Requirements Discourage Voters (Jan. 1, 2011) (map of state voter ID laws
prior to the 2011 legislative session), available at http://www.brennancenter.org/page/-/Democracy/Voter%20ID%20
2010%20States.pdf; Voter Identification Requirements, NCSL, http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16602 (last updated July 13, 2011) (information on previous and existing voter ID statutes).

14.

 ese states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas,
Th
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. See generally Nhu-Y Ngo & Keesha Gaskins, Brennan Center for Justice,
Voter ID Legislation in the States, http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/voter_id_legislation_in_the_
states/, (last updated July 6, 2011).

15.

 redreka Schouten, More States Require ID to Vote, USA Today (June 20, 2011), http://www.usatoday.com/news/
F
nation/2011-06-19-states-require-voter-ID_n.htm.

16.

 .B. 19, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess., Act No. 2011-673 (Ala. 2011), available at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/
H
acas/searchableinstruments/2011RS/Printfiles//HB19-enr.pdf.; H.B. 2067, 2011 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Kan. 2011), available at
http://kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/year1/measures/documents/hb2067_enrolled.pdf; S.B. 400 Sub. A, 2011 Leg., Jan.
Sess. (R.I. 2011), available at http://www.rilin.state.ri.us//BillText11/SenateText11/S0400A.pdf; H. 3003, 119th Gen.
Assemb., Reg. Sess. (S.C. 2011), available at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess119_2011-2012/prever/3003_20110511.
htm; S.B. 16, 107th Gen. Assemb., 2011 Reg. Sess. (Tenn. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/107/Bill/
SB0016.pdf; S.B 14, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tex. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/
pdf/SB00014F.pdf#navpanes=0; Assemb. B. 7, 2011 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Wis. 2011), available at http://legis.wisconsin.
gov/2011/data/acts/11Act23.pdf.

17.

S .F. 509, 87th Leg., Reg. Sess. (Minn. 2011), available at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bin/bldbill.php?bill=S0509.6.ht
ml&session=ls87; S.B. 3, 96th Gen. Assemb., 1st Reg. Sess. (Mo. 2011), available at http://www.senate.mo.gov/11info/
pdf-bill/tat/SB3.pdf; H.B. 152, 62d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Mont. 2011), available at http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2011/billpdf/
HB0152.pdf; S.B. 129, 2011 Gen. Ct., 2011 Reg. Sess. (N.H. 2011), available at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2011/SB0129.html; H.B. 351, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (N.C. 2011), available at http://www.ncga.state.
nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H351v6.pdf.

18.

 .B. 934, Reg. Sess. 2011-12 (Pa. 2011), available at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=201
H
1&sind=0&body=H&type=B&BN=0934. Other states with pending bills that are less likely to succeed include Illinois,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio. S.B. 2035, 97th Gen. Assemb. (Ill. 2011), available at http://www.ilga.
gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=2035&GAID=11&GA=97&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=58180&SessionID=84;
H.B. 3058, 97th Gen. Assemb. (Ill. 2011), available at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=3058

38 | Brennan Center for Justice

&GAID=11&GA=97&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=60409&SessionID=84; H.B. 1113, 187th Gen. Ct. (Mass. 2011),
available at http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H01113; H.B. 1115, 187th Gen. Ct. (Mass. 2011), available
at http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H01115; H.B. 2731, 187th Gen. Ct. (Mass. 2011), available at http://
www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H02731; S.B. 316, 187th Gen. Ct. (Mass. 2011), available at http://www.
malegislature.gov/Bills/187/Senate/S00316; S.B. 318, 187th Gen. Ct. (Mass. 2011), available at http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/Senate/S00318; S. 2996, 214th Leg. (N.J. 2011), available at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2010/Bills/
S3000/2996_I1.PDF; A.B. 3373, 2011-12 Reg. Sess. (N.Y. 2011), available at http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_f
ld=&bn=A03373&term=&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Votes=Y&Text=Y; H.B. 159, 129th Gen. Assemb. (Ohio 2011),
available at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=129_HB_159.
19.

S tate Senate Kills Voter ID Bill, WMUR N.H. (Sept. 7, 2011), http://www.wmur.com/r/29108560/detail.html; Kevin
Landrigan, Senate Veto Vote on Tap This Week, Nashua Telegraph, Sept. 4, 2011, http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/newsstatenewengland/931511-227/senate-veto-vote-on-tap-this-week.html. New Hampshire’s bill is still pending for the next
legislative session.

20.

 ike Raley & David Horn, Voter ID Bill Still Has Life, N.C. News Network, Sept. 6, 2011, http://www.ncnn.com/
M
edit-news/7232-voter-id-bill-still-has-life.

21.

S.J.R. 2, 96th Gen. Assemb., 1st Reg. Sess. (Mo. 2011), http://www.senate.mo.gov/11info/pdf-bill/tat/SJR2.pdf.

22.

I nitiative Measure No. 27, Mo. Sec’y of State, http://www.sos.ms.gov/page.aspx?s=7&s1=1&s2=51 (last visited July 15,
2011).

. Alabama allows voters without photo ID to vote if identified by two election officials at a polling place, Ala. Code § 179-30(e) (2011), but it is unlikely that many voters will be able to take advantage of that procedure. Texas also has a very
limited exception for voters who either have religious objections to being photographed or who lost their IDs in a federal
or state-declared natural emergency within forty-five days of an election, allowing them to execute an affidavit and cast
a provisional ballot in order to have their vote counted. Bill Information for SB 14, Tex. Leg. Online, http://www.legis.
state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB14 (last visited Sept. 7, 2011).

23

24.

Crawford v. Marion Cnty. Election Bd., 553 U.S. 181, 198 (2008).

25.

S hawn Doherty & Jessica Vanegeren, Top DOT Official Tells Staff Not to Mention Free Voter ID Cards to the Public, Unless They Ask, Madison.com (Sept. 7, 2011), http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/capitol-report/
article_335f59fa-d8fe-11e0-8a23-001cc4c03286.html; Brad Friedman, Video: WI Citizen Jumps Through DMV Hoops to
Get Photo ID in Order to Cast Legal Vote, Brad Blog (July 26, 2011, 5:58 PM), http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8626.

26.

S he eventually returned and received a free card after learning of the option from someone outside the DMV. Doug
Erickson, Need a Free Photo ID to Vote? Be Prepared to Wait, Wis. St. J., July 2, 2011, http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/
local/govt-and-politics/article_e1412868-a434-11e0-bc0c-001cc4c002e0.html.

27.

 atrick Marley, State Employee Fired After Telling Co-Workers About Photo ID Policy, Milwaukee J.-Sentinel, Sept. 8,
P
2011, http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/129469023.html.

28.

 exas Vital Statistics – Birth Certificates, Tx. Dep’t of State Health Servs. http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/reqproc/certiT
fied_copy.shtm (last visited July 18, 2011) ($22); Ordering Birth Certificates, Kas. Dep’t of Health and Env’t, http://
www.kdheks.gov/vital/birth_howto.html (last visited July 18, 2011) ($15); Vital Records, Ga. Dep’t of Pub. Health,
http://health.state.ga.us/programs/vitalrecords/birth.asp (last visited July 18, 2011) ($25).

29.

 .B. 7, 2011 Leg., Reg. Sess. (as introduced, Wis. 2011), available at https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/proA
posals/ab7.pdf.

30.

 lison Bauter, Wisconsin Students Take Aim at Voter ID Bill, Isthmus, Feb. 17, 2011, http://www.isthmus.com/isthmus/
A
article.php?article=32291; Andrew Averill, After Months in Limbo, Voter ID Bill Will Include University Cards, Badger
Herald, May 1, 2011, http://www.badgerherald.com/news/2011/05/01/after_months_in_limb.php.

31.

 emorandum from the Wis. Legislative Fiscal Bureau to the Members of the Joint Comm. On Fin. (May 9, 2011), availM
able at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/2011-13Bills/2011_05_09JFC_AB7.pdf.

voting LAW CHANGES | 39

32.

S .B 14, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tex. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/SB00014F.
pdf#navpanes=0.

33.

S ee, e.g., Molly Redden, As 2012 Elections Loom, Partisans on Both Sides Argue the Effect of Voter-ID Laws on Students,
Chron. of Higher Educ., July 11, 2011, http://chronicle.com/article/As-2012-Elections-Loom/128189/?key=Sm8hIF
A2MXwabCllZWxKYDpUPXY8Nxh1YnBOOHArbltSEg%3D%3D; Peter Wallsten, In States, Parties Clash over Voting
Laws That Would Affect College Students, Others, Wash. Post, Mar. 8, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
content/article/2011/03/06/AR2011030602662.html.

34.

 ill Status System: HB 176, N.H. Gen. Court, http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/bill_status.aspx?lsr=717&sy=
B
2011&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2011&txtbillnumber=hb176&q=1 (last visited Sept. 7, 2011).

35.

 n Act Relative to Eligibility to Vote: Hearing on H.B. 176, Before Election Law Comm., N.H. H.R. (Feb. 24, 2011) (writA
ten testimony of Lee Rowland, Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice & Peter Couto, Law Student Intern, Brennan Center
for Justice), http://www.brennancenter.org/page/-/Democracy/NH%20HB%20176%20Testimony%202.23.11.pdf.

36.

 eter Wallsten, “Foolish” College Kids “Just Vote Their Feelings,” New Hampshire Speaker Says, Wash. Post: Pols. & Pol’y
P
Blog (Mar. 8, 2011, 10:06 AM), http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/03/video-foolish-college-kids-jus.html.

37.

 ill Status System: HB 176, N.H. Gen. Court, http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/bill_status.aspx?lsr=717&sy=2
B
011&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2011&q=1 (last visited September 7, 2011); Gavin Huang, Student voting bill denied in
N.H. House, The Dartmouth (Mar. 9, 2011), http://thedartmouth.com/2011/03/09/news/bill.

38.

 ress Release, Me. Sec’y of State, Secretary of State Charles E. Summers, Jr.’s Remarks Concerning Possible Voter and
P
Identity Fraud (July 28, 2011), http://maine.gov/sos/news/2011/possible-voter-fraud-.html.

39.

Letter from Lee Rowland, Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice, to Charles E. Summers, Jr., Me. Sec’y of State (Aug. 16,
2011), http://brennan.3cdn.net/208a6341e17c03ad3c_o3m6y9xyu.pdf. The state Republican Party, which had devised
and forwarded the list of students, followed up this investigation with a widely-publicized announcement that it had
“uncovered” 19 voters who had registered on Election Day with the same Holiday Inn residence. See Press Release, Me.
Republican Party, Maine GOP Uncovers 19 Election Day Registrations From One Maine Hotel (Sept. 9, 2011), http://
campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=szrdsybab&v=001w9ieBxA0tWs05BvXMg11UnmBYspIv9iWprj5ziiC
qyfzTbbTKGVeTjR8dMOcCCqN0DK6seD9VQ2O_XsGsPI8cyPHMUkqVlREuT2u50DyQo0%3D. Calls to the
hotel made by the state Democratic Party confirmed that these voters were a group of students – legally eligible to vote in
Maine – who were temporarily housed at the hotel after their dorm had been destroyed by a hurricane. See Press Release,
Me. Democratic Party, Charlie Webster Continues Campaign of Voter Intimidation (Sept. 9, 2011), http://mainedems.
org/571.html.

40.

S ee, e.g., Brennan Center for Justice, Cast Out: New Voter Suppression Strategies 2006 and Beyond 23 (2006),
available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/1d92eeaf94232a9031_zdm6b6okf.pdf; see also Ian Urbina, Fraudulent Voting ReEmerges as a Partisan Issue, N.Y. Times, Oct. 26, 2010, at A17, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/us/
politics/27fraud.html?ref=ianurbina.

41.

S tate Senate Passes Voter ID Bill, Channel 3000 (May 20, 2011, 8:32 AM), http://www.channel3000.com/politics/27948966/detail.html.

42.

See Texas House Democrats Stop Voter ID Bill, KBTX (May 27, 2009, 9:00 PM), http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/46232967.html; Gary Scharrer, Lawmaker risks health to stop voter ID bill, Hous. Chron., May 22, 2007, http://
www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/07/legislature/4824361.html.

43.

 ditorial, No Need for Photo ID Bill, Rock Hill Herald, Mar. 5, 2009, http://www.mcclatchydc.com/337/story/63347.
E
html.

44.

Gina Smith, Voter ID Wins Key Approval: House Democrats Walk out in Protest, The State, Feb. 27, 2009, available at
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195258/posts.

45.

S .B. 150, 106th Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tenn. 2009), available at http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.
aspx?BillNumber=SB0150&ga=106.

40 | Brennan Center for Justice

46.

Maggie Baron, No Compromise on Voter ID, Brennan Center for Justice (Mar. 6 2009), http://www.brennancenter.
org/blog/archives/no_compromise_on_voter_id/.

47.

 .B. 381, 2007 Leg., Reg. Sess, (Ala. 2007), available at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/
H
searchableinstruments/2007rs/bills/hb381.htm; H.B. 400, 2009 Leg., Reg. Sess., (Ala. 2009), available at http://alisondb.
legislature.state.al.us/acas/searchableinstruments/2009rs/bills/hb400.htm; H.B. 227, 2010 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Ala. 2010),
available at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/searchableinstruments/2010rs/bills/hb227.htm.

48.

 ichael P. McKinney, Voter ID Bill Splits Panel, Providence J., Mar. 29, 2007, http://www.projo.com/news/content/
M
Election29_03-29-07_GI526P3.33b24fe.html.

49.

Cynthia Needham, R.I. House Approves ‘Voter ID’ bill; Senate Version Stalled, Providence J.: Politics Blog (May 28,
2009, 8:10 PM), http://politicsblog.projo.com/2009/05/house-approves.html.

50.

Those states are Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

51.

Kerry Rich (Alabama H.B. 19 and H.B. 63), Gerald Allen (Alabama S.B. 86), Mike Morrell (California A.B. 663), Gene
Ward (Hawaii H.B. 1359), Bill Anderson (Iowa S.F. 142), Kathy Afzali (Maryland H.B. 288), Shaunna O’Connell (Massachusetts H. 1113), Richard Ross (Massachusetts S. 316), Michael Rush (Massachusetts S. 318), Mike Benson (Minnesota
H.F. 89), Roger Chamberlain (Minnesota S.F. 354), John Howe (Minnesota S.F. 479), Ira Hansen (Nevada A.B. 431),
Cresent Hardy (Nevada A.B. 434), Mark Sherwood (Nevada A.B. 435), Michael Roberson (S.B. 373), Jim Belanger (New
Hampshire H.B. 515), Cathrynn Brown (New Mexico H.B. 577), Wesley Meredith (North Carolina S.B. 352), Stacey
Campfield (Tennessee S.B. 133), Charles Perry (Texas H.B. 186), Charles Anderson (Texas H.B. 539), Jason Isaac (Texas
H.B. 1596), Van Taylor (Texas H.B. 4160). See generally Nhu-Y Ngo & Keesha Gaskins, Voter ID Legislation in the
States, Brennan Center for Justice, http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/voter_id_legislation_in_the_states/
(last updated July 6, 2011).

52.

 ap of 2010 Post-Election Party Control of State Legislatures, NCSL, http://www.ncsl.org/tabid/21253/default.aspx (last
M
visited July 19, 2011).

53.

 redreka Schouten, More States Require ID to Vote, USA Today, June 20, 2011, http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011F
06-19-states-require-voter-ID_n.htm. Notably, Republicans gained control of the Minnesota Senate and House for the first
time since the legislature switched back to partisan elections in 1974. See Tim Storey, Updated – GOP Gains in Legislature are
Historic, Thicket (Nov. 4, 2010, 1:21 PM), http://ncsl.typepad.com/the_thicket/2010/11/by-tim-storey-updated-at-thursday-nov-4-1115am-mdt-republicans-have-added-over-675-seats-to-their-ranks-in-this-elec.html. Republicans also won control in Alabama, which had not been in GOP control since Reconstruction, and the North Carolina Senate, which had not
been Republican since 1870. See Pre-Election Party Control of State Legislatures, NCSL, http://www.ncsl.org/?tabid=21314
(last visited July 19, 2011).

54.

S ee Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Republican Party Chair Reince Priebus: What’s His Record in Wisconsin?, Christian Sci.
Monitor, Jan. 16, 2011, http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0116/Republican-Party-chair-Reince-PriebusWhat-s-his-record-in-Wisconsin; Pre-Election Party Control of State Legislatures: Wisconsin, NCSL, http://www.ncsl.org/?ta
bid=21314&stateid=wi#data (last visited July 19, 2011); Post-Election Party Control of State Legislatures: Wisconsin, NCSL,
http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=21253&stateid=wi#data (last visited July 19, 2011).

55.

 hillip Rawls, Alabama Legislature Halfway to Passing Photo ID Law, AL.com (Mar. 27, 2011, 1:39 PM), http://blog.
P
al.com/wire/2011/03/alabama_legislature_halfway_to.html; 2010 Post-Election Party Control of State Legislatures: Alabama, NCSL, http://www.ncsl.org/?tabid=21317&stateid=al#data (last visited July 19, 2011).

56.

 ress Release, R.I. Gen. Assembly, Voter ID Bill Signed Into Law (July 6, 2011), available at http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/
P
News/pr1.asp?prid=7528.

57.

S .B. 400 Sub. A, 2011 Leg., Jan. Sess. (R.I. 2011), available at http://www.rilin.state.ri.us//BillText11/SenateText11/
S0400A.pdf.

58.

 hio House Leader Says Voter Photo ID Bill is Dead, WLWT.com (July 29, 2011), http://www.wlwt.com/r/28703682/
O
detail.html.

voting LAW CHANGES | 41

59.

J ohn Michael Spinelli, Ohio SOS Husted at Odds with GOP Lawmakers over Photo ID Bill, Kasich on SB5, Examiner.com
(June 25, 2011), http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/ohio-sos-husted-at-odds-with-gop-lawmakers-overphoto-id-bill-gov-kasich-on-sb.

60.

Editorial, Ohio Voter ID Law Isn’t Needed, Cincinnati Enquirer, Dec. 14, 2005, at 6C.

61.

Ne. Ohio Coal. for the Homeless v. Brunner, 652 F. Supp. 2d, 871 (S.D. Ohio 2009).

62.

 ditorial, Ohio Voter ID Law Isn’t Needed, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Dec. 14, 2005, at 6C; Editorial, Ohio Voter ID
E
Picture Keeps Getting Uglier, Dayton Daily News, Nov. 1, 2006, at A18; Ohio’s Voter ID Rule Could be Worse, Dayton
Daily News, Jan. 17, 2008, at A18.

63.

 awrence Norden & Jessie Allen, Final Report: 2008 & 2009 Ohio Election Summit and Conference 41 (2009),
L
available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/9ccb57cb5de1711173_nkm6bqc3y.pdf.

64.

S ee Voter Fraud, Matt Schultz for Iowa Sec’y of State, http://votemattschultz.com/voter-fraud/ (last visited Sept.
6, 2011); Kris Kobach on the Issues, Kris Kobach for Sec’y of State, http://www.kriskobach.org/index-4.html (last
visited Sept. 6, 2011); Aaron Couch, Voter ID Becomes an Issue in Kansas Secretary of State Race, Kan. City Star, Oct. 25,
2010; On the Issues, Scott Gessler, http://www.scottgessler.com/issues.html (last visited Sept. 6, 2011).

65.

 e said: “Voter fraud and other Chicago style politics should have no place in the upcoming elections here in Wisconsin.
H
I urge Mayor Barrett to join me in supporting voter ID proposals because the people of Wisconsin deserve to have their
votes counted equally as part of a smooth and lawful election.” Press Release, Scott Walker, Walker to Barrett: Stop Ignoring Voter Fraud in Your Own Backyard (June 8, 2010), available at http://www.scottwalker.org/press-release/2010/06/
walker-barrett-%C2%93stop-ignoring-voter-fraud-your-own-back-yard%C2%94; see also On the Issues: Photo ID at the
Polls, Milwaukee J.-Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/103292569.html.

66.

 s of early December 2010, voter ID bills had been pre-filed in at least five states: Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire,
A
South Carolina, and Texas. See Ngu-Y Ngo, Voter ID a Misguided Effort, Brennan Center for Justice (Dec. 13, 2010),
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/voter_id_misguided/.

67.

 ob Price, Tomball State Rep. Debbie Riddle Camps Out at the Capital, Tx. GOP Vote (Nov. 9, 2010 10:21 AM). http://
B
texasgopvote.com/2011-legislative-session/tomball-state-rep-debbie-riddle-camps-out-capital-first-gate-6-bills-targeting-i-002094.

68.

 aniel Setiawan, After Six-Year Fight, Perry Signs Voter ID, Tx. Observer, May 27, 2011, http://www.texasobserver.org/
D
component/k2/item/17879-voter-id-signed-into-law.

69.

 ary Scharrer, Senator Leaves Sick Bed to Vote, Hous. Chron., May 16, 2007, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/
G
special/07/legislature/4807864.html.

70.

 ary Scharrer, Lawmaker Risks Health to Stop Voter ID Bill, Hous. Chron., May 22, 2007, http://www.chron.com/disp/
G
story.mpl/special/07/legislature/4824361.html.

71.

 dam Skaggs, Voter ID & the Divide, Brennan Center for Justice, March 17, 2009, http://www.brennancenter.
A
org/blog/archives/voter_id_the_divide/.

72.

 . Gardner Selby, After Marathon Session, Senate Advances Bill to Toughen Voter ID Requirements, Austin Am.-Statesman,
W
Mar. 12, 2009, http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/03/12/0312voterid.html.

73.

Editorial, The Republican Threat to Voting, N.Y. Times, Apr. 26, 2011 at A26.

74.

S ee, e.g., John Nichols, ALEC Exposed: Rigging Elections, The Nation, July 12, 2011. The liberal watchdog Campus
Progress obtained and published a copy of the model legislation, see Tobin Van Ostern, Conservative Corporate Advocacy
Group ALEC Behind Voter Disenfranchisement Efforts, Campus Progress (Mar. 8, 2011), http://www.campusprogress.org/
articles/conservative_corporate_advocacy_group_alec_behind_voter_disenfranchise/ (hyperlink to model legislation available at http://images2.americanprogress.org/campus/web/ALEC_voter_ID_model_legislation.pdf ), which the organization made available only to its members.

42 | Brennan Center for Justice

75.

S ee How to Join ALEC, ALEC, http://www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=How_to_Join_ALEC (last visited June
10, 2011); ALEC, Private Sector Member Brochure, http://www.alec.org/am/pdf/Corporate_Brochure.pdf (last
visited June 10, 2011).

76.

S ee, e.g., Amy Kjose, ALEC, Tort Reform Boot Camp (2011), available at http://www.alec.org/AM/pdf/civiljustice/
TortReformBootCampGuideFinal.pdf; Christie Herrera, ALEC, The State Legislator’s Guide to Repealing
Obamacare (2011), available at http://www.alec.org/AM/pdf/hhs/State_Leg_Guide_to_Repealing_ObamaCare.pdf;
Raegan Weber, Tennessee Legislators Gather in Nashville to Learn and Discuss Comprehensive Tort Reform Legislation,
ALEC (Feb. 15, 2011), http://www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=tennessee_legislators; Raegan Weber, Congratulations to ALEC’s Wyoming Leadership Team, Inside ALEC, May, 2011, at 22, http://www.alec.org/am/pdf/InsideALEC/
InsideALEC_may2011.pdf.

77.

 atrick Marley & Jason Stein, GOP Raises the Stakes, Milwaukee J.-Sentinel, Feb. 21, 2011, http://www.jsonline.com/
P
news/statepolitics/116595118.html.

78.

 icknice, WI Senate Vote on Voter Suppression Bill, Dailymotion (May 19, 2011), http://www.dailymotion.com/video/
N
xisu29_wi-senate-vote-on-voter-suppression-bill-5-19-11_news; Mary Spicuzza, Legislature Passes Voter ID bill; Walker
to Sign it Wednesday, Wis. St. J., May 29, 2011, http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_
ceaa2760-822c-11e0-887b-001cc4c03286.html.

79.

 im Lockette, Voter ID Bill Passes Alabama Senate, Anniston Star, June 9, 2011, http://www.annistonstar.com/view/
T
full_story/14027325/article-Voter-ID-bill-passes-Alabama-Senate-.

80.

 aige Lavender, Bill Clinton: Voter ID Laws Are Worst Effort to Disenfranchise Voters Since Jim Crow Laws, Huffington
P
Post (July 7, 2011, 1:23 PM), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/07/bill-clinton-voter-id-disenfranchise-jimcrow_n_892252.html.

81.

 .J. Dionne Jr., How States Are Rigging the 2012 Election, Wash. Post, June 19, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/
E
opinions/how-states-are-rigging-the-2012-election/2011/06/19/AGCdB3bH_story.html.

82.

 eter Roff, Despite What Democrats Claim, Voter Fraud is Real, U.S. News & World Rep., July 29, 2011, http://www.
P
usnews.com/opinion/blogs/peter-roff/2011/07/29/despite-what-democrats-claim-voter-fraud-is-real.

83.

 obach, supra note 3. Kobach’s claim of voter fraud is misleading. A review of the 221 allegations of reported “voter
K
fraud” over 13 years revealed only seven convictions—two for electioneering too close to the polls and five for doublevoting between states or counties. None would have been prevented by the introduction of photo ID requirements. See
Keesha Gaskins, Debunking Misinformation on Photo ID, Brennan Center for Justice (June 9, 2011), http://www.
brennancenter.org/blog/archives/debunking_misinformation_on_photo_id/.

84.

 or instance, Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason said: “Unfortunately, voter fraud is a real problem
F
in Pennsylvania and it is incumbent upon our Legislature to protect the sanctity of our electoral process.” Linda Finarelli,
House Passes Bill Requiring Photo ID to Vote, Montgomery Media, July 9, 2011, http://www.montgomerynews.com/
articles/2011/07/09/north_penn_life/news/doc4e15dfb4ab1b2865778317.txt?viewmode=default. South Carolina House
Speaker Bobby Harrell said, “If we do not protect that voting right from fraud and abuse, we are not protecting the ideals
of democracy.” Press Release, S.C. Statehouse Blog, House Again Passes Voter ID (Jan. 26, 2011), available at http://
sc.statehouseblogs.com/2011/01/26/house-again-passes-voter-id-press-release/.

85.

 or example, Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Zellers said in a radio interview, “I think [voting is] a privilege, it’s not a
F
right. Everybody doesn’t get it because if you go to jail or if you commit some heinous crime your rights are taken away.
This is a privilege.” See Eric Roper, Zellers: Voting Is “Privilege, Not Right”, Minneapolis Star Trib.: Hot Dish Politics
(Apr. 21, 2011, 5:50 PM), http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/120393764.html.

86.

 ress Release, John Lynch, Governor, State of N.H., Governor Lynch’s Veto Message Regarding SB 129 (June 27, 2011),
P
available at http://www.governor.nh.gov/media/news/2011/062711-sb129.htm.

87.

 etter from Mark Dayton, Governor, State of Minn., to Hon. Michelle L. Fischbach, President of the Senate, State of
L
Minn., (May 26, 2011), available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/56415356/Ch-69-SF509; Lynch, supra note 86.

voting LAW CHANGES | 43

88.

I d.; see also Dayton, supra note 87; Jason Hancock, Nixon Vetoes Missouri Photo ID Legislation, St. Louis Today, June 19,
2011, http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_1219dc24-9908-11e0-bf91-0019bb30f31a.html.

89.

S ee Press Release, 112th Congress House Administration, Study Finds 5,000 Non-Citizens Likely Voted in Colorado,
Mar.10, 2011, available at: http://cha.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=368&Itemid=366; see also
Press Release, 112th Congress House Administration, Harper: Report on Non-Citizen Voting is a Disturbing Wake-Up Call,
March 31, 2011, available at: http://cha.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=375&Itemid=366.

90.

John Lewis, supra note 5.

91.

 eter Kasperowicz, House Dems Say State Voter-ID Laws a GOP Plan to Suppress Minority Votes, Hill: Floor Action
P
Blog (July 19, 2011, 11:45 AM), http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/172211-house-dems-say-state-voter-idlaws-a-gop-plan-to-suppress-minority-votes.

92.

Id.

93.

 yan Reilly, House Dems Join Senate in Urging DOJ to Fight Voter ID Laws, TPM Muckraker (July 27, 2011, 1:10 PM),
R
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/07/house_dems_join_senate_in_urging_doj_to_fight_vote.php;
Letter from Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, et al., to Hon. Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General (July 25, 2011), available at http://
talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2011/07/house-democrats-urge-eric-holder-to-use-dojs-power-to-intervene-onvoter-id-laws.php.

94.

 ress Release, Senator Dick Durbin, Durbin to Chair Hearing Examining New State Voting Laws that ThreatP
en to Suppress Turnout Nationwide (Sept. 2, 2011), available at http://durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/
pressreleases?ID=16aa6ae3-91ad-4671-85fe-b901fccdcf24.

95.

 ishal Agraharkar, Wendy Weiser & Adam Skaggs, Brennan Center for Justice, The Cost of Voter ID Laws:
V
What the Courts Say (2011), available at http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/the_cost_of_voter_id_laws_
what_the_courts_say/.

96.

 innesota: The projected cost for now-vetoed Minnesota H.F. 89 was under $5 million, but according to MinM
nesota Common Cause and Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota, the actual cost of H.F. 89 would be closer to
$25 million (with the inclusion of potential costs to local election offices). Common Cause Minn., The High Cost
of Voter ID Mandates (2011), available at http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7Bfb3c17e2-cdd1-4df6-92bebd4429893665%7D/VOTER%20ID%20COST%20REVIEW.PDF.
Texas: “The fiscal note says it will cost about $2 million to implement, but Democrats say it could be much costlier, particularly for local governments.” Brandi Grissom, Senate Approves Voter ID Bill, The Texas Tribune, Jan. 26, 2011, http://
www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/voter-id/tribblog-senate-approves-voter-id-bill.
South Carolina: “The state estimate is ‘purely wishful thinking,’ said Barbara Zia, president of the state’s League of
Women Voters. ‘It will send us, the taxpayers spiraling down a fiscal rabbit hole.’” Seanna Adcox, Opponents Call S.C.
Voter ID Bill too Costly for Taxpayers, Sun News, Mar. 30, 2011, http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/03/30/2069077/
opponents-call-sc-voter-id-bill.html.

97.

S ee, e.g., Jennifer Jacobs, Iowa County Elections Officials Oppose Bill to Require a Photo ID to Vote, Des Moines Reg.:
Author Blog (Feb. 14, 2011, 5:55 PM), http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/02/14/iowas-countyelections-officials-oppose-bill-to-require-photo-id-to-vote/; Hearing on HB 934 & HB 647 Before the H. St. Gov’t.
Comm. (Pa. 2011) (statement of Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director, County Comm’rs Ass’n of Pa.); Hearing on SB-6
Before the S. Comm. On Transp. & Elections (Wis. 2011) (statement of Diane Hermann-Brown, President, Wis. Municipal Clerks Ass’n).

98.

S cott Danigole, Fiscal Note: LB 239, Neb. Leg., (Jan. 26. 2011), available at http://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/FN/LB239.pdf.

99.

Id.

100.

 artha Stoddard, Voter Bill Faces Changes, Omaha World-Herald, Mar. 3, 2011, http://www.omaha.com/artiM
cle/20110303/NEWS01/303039891.

44 | Brennan Center for Justice

101.

Id.

102.

 .B. 239, 102d Leg., 1st Sess. (Neb. 2011), available at http://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.
L
php?DocumentID=12209.

103.

 my Erickson, Auditors Oppose Current Voter ID Bill, Le Mars Daily Sentinel, Feb. 17, 2011, http://www.lemarssentiA
nel.com/story/1703969.html.

104.

I SACA Photo ID Exploratory Comm., A Report on Photo ID for Voting Purposes (2011), available at http://
www.iowaauditors.org/index_files/ISACAVoterIDReport020211final.pdf.

105.

J ennifer Jacobs, Iowa County Elections Officials Oppose Bill to Require a Photo ID to Vote, Des Moines Reg.: Author
Blog (Feb. 14, 2011, 5:55 PM), http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/02/14/iowas-county-elections-officials-oppose-bill-to-require-photo-id-to-vote/.

106.

 oxanna Moritz, Iowa State Association of County Auditors Rejects Photo ID Bill, Scott Cnty. Ia. Auditor’s Blog (Feb.
R
15, 2011), http://scottcountyauditor.wordpress.com/2011/02/.

107.

 ndrew J. Nelson, Iowa Vote ID Plan Stymied, Omaha World-Herald, Apr. 2, 2011, http://www.omaha.com/arA
ticle/20110402/NEWS01/704029858/1009.

108.

 klahoma’s law requires voters to present photo identification in order to vote, but if a voter does not have photo ID,
O
she may use a voter registration card issued by her county elections board. If she has neither a photo ID nor a voter registration card, or declines to present proof of identity, she may sign a sworn statement affirming her identity and vote by
provisional ballot. Her provisional ballot will be counted if it is cast in the correct precinct and she is registered.  Okla.
Stat. tit. 26, § 7-116.1C (2011); Okla. Stat. tit. 26, § 7-114 (2011).

109.

Weinschenk v. State, 203 S.W.3d 201 (Mo. 2006).

110.

 ississippi Voter Identification Petition, Ballotpedia, http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Mississippi_Voter_
M
Identification_Petition_%282011%29 (last visited July 19, 2011); Initiative Measure No. 27, Mo. Sec’y of State,
http://www.sos.ms.gov/page.aspx?s=7&s1=1&s2=51 (last visited July 19, 2011).

111.

 F 1597 Status in Senate for Legislative Session 87, Minn. Leg. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/revisor/pages/search_status/
H
status_detail.php?b=House&f=HF1597&ssn=0&y=2011 (last visited September 7, 2011); see generally Tim Pugmire,
Push Begins to Get Voter ID on Ballot, Minn. Pub. Radio News (June 7, 2011, 2:22 PM), http://minnesota.publicradio.
org/collections/special/columns/polinaut/archive/2011/06/push_begins_to.shtml.

112.

S ee U.S. Election Assistance Comm’n, National Mail Registration Form (2006), available at http://www.eac.gov/
assets/1/Documents/national%20mail%20voter%20registration%20form%20english%20February%2015%202011.pdf
.

113.

See 18 U.S.C. § 1973i(c).

114.

Ariz. Rev. Stat. §§ 16-152(A)(23), 16-166 (2011).

115.

Id. § 16-166.

116.

 etter from Thomas R. Wilkey, Exec. Director, U.S. Election Assistance Comm’n, to Jan Brewer, Ariz. Sec’y of State
L
(Mar. 6, 2006), available at http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Page/EAC%20Letter%20to%20Arizona%20Secretary%20
of%20State%20Jan%20Brewer%20March%206%202006.pdf.

117.

S ee Gonzalez v. Arizona, 435 F. Supp. 2d 997 (2006), rev’d in part, 624 F.3d 1162 (9th Cir. 2010), reh’g en banc granted,
2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 8573 (9th Cir. Apr. 27, 2011).

118.

 onzalez v. Arizona, 624 F.3d 1162 (9th Cir. 2010), reh’g en banc granted, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 8573 (9th Cir. Apr.
G
27, 2011).

119.

2 009 Ga. Laws 712 (Ga. 2009) (codified at Ga. Code Ann. § 21-2-216(g) (2011)), available at http://www1.legis.
ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb86.htm.

voting LAW CHANGES | 45

120.

 fter extensive negotiations and modifications, the Department of Justice eventually approved Georgia’s citizenship
A
verification program. See Letter from T. Christian Herren, Chief, Voting Section, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, to Ann W. Lewis,
Esq. (Aug. 18, 2010); see also Joint Motion to Dismiss, Georgia v. Holder, 748 F. Supp. 2d 16 (D.D.C. 2010), available
at http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/litigation/documents/Georgia-Motion-8-20-10.pdf.

121.

S ee Bill Rankin, DOJ Approves Proof of Citizenship Requirement for Voter Registration, Atlanta J.-Const., Apr. 4, 2011,
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/doj-approves-proof-of-898132.html.

Nat’l Conference of State Legislatures, 2011 Immigration-Related Laws and Resolutions in the States
(2011), available at http://www.ncsl.org/documents/statefed/IMMIG_REPORT_FINALAUG9.pdf.

122.

123.

S .B. 256, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ala. 2011), available at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/
searchableinstruments/2011RS/Printfiles/SB256-int.pdf.

124.

S .B. 11-018, 68th Gen. Assemb., 1st Reg. Sess. (Colo. 2011), available at http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2011a/csl.
nsf/fsbillcont3/BAED7B3078F4007E8725781500271318?open&file=018_01.pdf.

125.

 .B. 5231, Sess. Year 2011 (Conn. 2011), available at http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.
H
asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB05231&which_year=2011.

126.

H.B. 2067, 2011 Sess. (Kan. 2011), available at http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/year1/measures/hb2067/.

127.

S .P. 241, 125th Leg., 1st Reg. Sess. (Me. 2011), available at http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?sn
um=125&paper=SP0241&PID=1456.

128.

H. 194, 187th Gen. Court (Mass. 2011), available at http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H00194.

129.

 .B. 515-FN, 2011 Sess. (N.H. 2011), available at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/bill_status.aspx?lsr=326
H
&sy=2011&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2011&txtbillnumber=hb515&q=1,

130.

S.B. 178, 76th Sess. (Nev. 2011), available at http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Reports/history.cfm?ID=428.

131.

 .B. 2804, 76th Leg. Assemb. (Or. 2011), available at http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measures/hb2800.dir/hb2804.
H
intro.html.

132.

S . 304, Sess. 119 (S.C. 2011), available at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/cgi-bin/web_bh10.exe?bill1=304&session=119&su
mmary=T.

133.

S .B. 352, 107th Gen. Assemb., 2011 Sess. (Tenn. 2011), available at http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.
aspx?BillNumber=SB0352.

134.

 .B. 1338, 82d Leg. Sess. (Tex. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.
H
aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB1338.

135.

S .J. Memorial 8001, 62d Leg., 2011 Sess. (Wash. 2011), available at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.
aspx?bill=8001&year=2011.

136.

S .B. 256, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ala. 2011), available at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/
searchableinstruments/2011RS/Printfiles/SB256-int.pdf ; H.B. 2067, 2011 Sess. (Kan. 2011), available at http://www.
kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/year1/measures/hb2067/.

S .P. 241, 125th Me. Leg., 1st Reg. Sess. (Me. 2011), available at http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/display_ps.a
sp?snum=125&paper=SP0241&PID=1456; S.B. 352, 107th Gen. Assemb., 2011 Sess. (Tenn. 2011), available at http://
wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0352.
 .B. 1338, 82d Leg. Sess. (Tex. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.
H
aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB1338.
137.

42 U.S.C. § 1973c.

46 | Brennan Center for Justice

138.

 s of this drafting, the entire law has been temporarily enjoined by a federal court and cannot be implemented until
A
the court lifts the injunction. Hispanic Interest Coal. of Ala. v. Bentley, No. 5:11-cv-02484 (N.D. Ala. Aug. 29, 2011)
(order granting preliminary injunction) (consolidated with Parsley. v. Bentley, No. 5:11-cv-2736 (N.D. Ala.) and United
States v. Alabama et al., No. 2:11-cv-2746 (N.D. Ala.)).

139.

 .B. 56, § 29(c), 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ala. 2011), available at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/
H
searchableinstruments/2011RS/Printfiles/HB56-enr.pdf; H.B. 2067, § 8(l), 2011 Sess. (Kan. 2011), available at http://
www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/year1/measures/hb2067/.

140.

H.B. 56, § 29(k) (Ala. 2011); H.B. 2067, § 8(m) (Kan. 2011).

141.

H.B. 56, §§ 29(d) and (f ) (Ala. 2011); H.B. 2067, § 8(n) and (p) (Kan. 2011).

142.

H.B. 56, § 29(m)(7) (Ala. 2011); H.B. 2067, § 8(m)(6) (Kan. 2011).

143.

John Tomasic, Sec of State Gessler Lands on Legislative Loser List for Voter ID Debacle, Colo. Indep., May 12, 2011.

144.

Joseph Boven, Levy Call Gessler’s Bluff: Says He Should Prosecute Those Who Vote Illegally,, Colo. Indep., Apr. 8, 2011.

145.

Nancy Lofholm, County Clerks Want Illegal-Voting Proof, Denver Post, Apr. 13, 2011.

146.

S cott Gessler, Colo. Sec’y of State, Comparison of Colorado’s Voter Rolls with Department of Revenue NonCitizen Records (Mar. 8, 2011), available at http://cha.house.gov/images/stories/documents/co_non_citizen_report.pdf.

147.

 ris W. Kobach, supra note 3. Mr. Kobach, however, was unable to identify a single instance of a non-citizen illegally
K
casting a vote, or any successful prosecution for voter fraud in the state. Keesha Gaskins, Debunking Misinformation on
Voter ID, Brennan Center for Justice (June 6, 2011), http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/debunking_misinformation_on_photo_id/.

148.

S ee Keesha Gaskins, Smoke and Mirrors: Alleged Non-Citizen Voting in NM and CO, Brennan Center for Justice
(Apr. 1, 2011), http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/smoke_and_mirrors_alleged_non-citizen_voting_in_new_
mexico_and_colorado/. Congressman Henry Gonzalez (D-TX) questioned Mr. Gessler’s claims, saying “No attorney
would go before a judge with a report in which the main claims are preceded by such terms as ‘inconclusive’, ‘incomplete’, and ‘impossible to provide a precise number’ … Ensuring the integrity of our elections is far too important a
matter to base decisions on a study that mischaracterizes empirical data, neglects even the most obvious analysis of that
data, and hides these failings behind terms like ‘tentative’ and ‘preliminary.’” Press Release, Kyle Anderson, Colorado
Voter Registration Study Questioned during House Administration Hearing On a Look Back at What Went Right and
Wrong with the 2010 Election (Apr. 1, 2011), available at http://democrats.cha.house.gov/press-release/colorado-voterregistration-study-questioned-during-house-administration-committee.

149.

 ress Release, House Comm. on House Admin., Harper: Report on Non-Citizen Voting is a Disturbing Wake-Up Call
P
(March 31, 2011), available at http://cha.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=375&Itemid=4.

150.

Citizens Without Proof, supra note 4.

151.

 ennessee Debates Bill to Require Proof of Citizenship to Vote, Huffington Post, May 12, 2010, http://www.huffingtonT
post.com/2010/05/12/tennessee-debates-bill-to_n_573170.html.

152.

See, e.g., Keesha Gaskins, Smoke and Mirrors, supra note 148.

153.

See generally Wendy Weiser et al., Brennan Center for Justice, Voter Registration Modernization, 3-5 (2009),
available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/b75f13413388b2fccc_ynm6bn1l2.pdf.

154.

S ee id. at 3; Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, Voting: What Is, What Could Be 3 (2001), available at http://www.vote.caltech.edu/drupal/files/report/voting_what_is_what_could_be.pdf; Stephen Ansolabehere,
Testimony Before the Senate Rules Committee, Mar. 11, 2009, available at http://www.vote.caltech.edu/drupal/files/
news/03112009Ansolabehere_Testimony.pdf.

voting LAW CHANGES | 47

155.

J ohn Mark Hansen & Michael A. Neblo, Report of the Task Force on the Federal Election System: Voter Registration, in
Nat’l Comm. on Fed. Election Reform, To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process 119, 131
(2002), available at http://tcf.org/publications/pdfs/pb246/99_full_report.pdfhttp://books.google.com/books?id=QLHh
CtmIZCUC&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false.

156.

See Ansolabehere, supra note 154, at 19.

157.

42 U.S.C. §§ 1973gg to 1973gg-10.

158.

S ee generally Christopher Ponoroff, Brennan Center for Justice, Voter Registration in a Digital Age, (Wendy
Weiser, Ed., 2010), available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/806ab5ea23fde7c261_n1m6b1s4z.pdf.

159.

S ee Jennifer Rosenberg & Margaret Chen, Expanding Democracy: Voter Registration Around the World,
Brennan Center for Justice 3 (2009), available at http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/expanding_democracy_voter_registration_around_the_world/.

160.

42 U.S.C. §§ 1973gg to 1973gg-10.

161.

42 U.S.C. § 1973gg-4(b).

162.

League of Women Voters v. Cobb, 447 F. Supp. 2d. 1314 (D. Fla. 2006).

163.

I n 2004, while 7.8% of non-Hispanic whites registered with private drives, 12.7% of blacks and 12.9% of Hispanics did
the same. Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 – Detailed Tables, U.S. Census Bureau, http://www.
census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2004/tables.html (download Table 14) (last visited Aug. 2,
2011). In 2008, African Americans and Hispanics nationally remained almost twice as likely to register through a voter
registration drive as whites. While 5.4% of non-Hispanic whites registered at private drives, 11.1% of African-Americans
and 9.6% of Hispanics did the same. Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2008 – Detailed Tables, U.S.
Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2008/tables.html (download
Table 14) (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

164.

 uring the 2008-2010 voter registration cycle, 14.4 million applications nationwide were from new registrants who were
D
not previously registered in a local jurisdiction or had not previously registered in any jurisdiction.  This is a 16.8% drop
from the last voter registration cycle that coincided with a national midterm election: during the 2004-2006 period, there
were 17.3 million new registrants.  U.S. Election Assistance Comm’n, The Impact of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 on the Administration of Elections for Federal Office 2009-2010: A Report to the 112th
Congress 1 (2011), available at  http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Documents/2010%20NVRA%20FINAL%20REPORT.pdf.

165.

S ee, e.g., Reince Priebus, Anti Voter Fraud Reforms are Practical, not Partisan, U.S. News & World Rep., June 6, 2011,
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/06/06/anti-voter-fraud-reforms-are-practical-not-partisan.

166.

 rad Friedman, John McCain: “One of the Greatest Frauds in Voter History”, Huffington Post, Oct. 16, 2008,
B
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman/john-mccain-one-of-the-gr_b_135460.html.

167.

See infra notes 182-183 and accompanying text.

168.

 yan J. Reilly, Columnist: Registering Poor to Vote “Like Handing Out Burglary Tools to Criminals”, TPM Muckraker,
R
Sept. 2, 2011, http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/columnist_registering_poor_to_vote_like_handing_out_burglary_tools_to_criminals.php.

169.

The one exception is California’s bill.

170.

CS/CS/HB 1355: Elections, Fla. Senate, http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/1355 (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

171.

 istory: HB 1570, Tex. Leg. Online, http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.
H
aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB1570 (last visited Aug. 2, 2011); History: HB 2194, Tex. Leg. Online, http://www.capitol.
state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB2194 (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

172.

 .B. 1570, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tex. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/
H
HB01570F.pdf#navpanes=0.

48 | Brennan Center for Justice

. H.B. 2194, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tex. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/
HB02194F.pdf#navpanes=0.

173

174.

Florida H.B. 1355 passed on a party line vote of 25-13 in the Senate and 77-38 in the House. CS/CS/HB 1355: Elections –
House Floor Vote, Fla. House of Reps. (May 15, 2011), http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/floorvote.aspx?VoteId
=12484&BillId=46543&SessionIndex=-1&SessionId=66&BillText=&BillNumber=1355&BillSponsorIndex=0&BillListInde
x=0&BillStatuteText=&BillTypeIndex=0&BillReferredIndex=0&HouseChamber=H&BillSearchIndex=-1; CS/CS/HB 1355:
Elections – Senate Floor Vote, Fla. House of Reps. (May 5, 2011), http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/floorvote.aspx
?VoteId=12464&BillId=46543&SessionIndex=-1&SessionId=66&BillText=&BillNumber=1355&BillSponsorIndex=0&BillLi
stIndex=0&BillStatuteText=&BillTypeIndex=0&BillReferredIndex=0&HouseChamber=H&BillSearchIndex=-1.

175.

 .B. 1570, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tx. 2011); H. Journal, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess., at 1583 (Tx. 2011), available at http://
H
www.journals.house.state.tx.us/hjrnl/82r/pdf/82RDAY51FINAL.PDF#page=5; S. Journal, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess., at 2381
(Tx. 2011), available at http://www.journals.senate.state.tx.us/sjrnl/82r/pdf/82RSJ05-17-F.PDF#page=5.

176.

 .B. 2194, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tx. 2011); S. Journal, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess., at 3537 (Tx. 2011), available at http://
H
www.journals.senate.state.tx.us/sjrnl/82r/pdf/82RSJ05-25-F1.PDF#page=9.

177.

 .B. 2194, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tx. 2011); H. Journal, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess., at 3550 (Tx. 2011), available at http://
H
www.journals.house.state.tx.us/hjrnl/82r/pdf/82RDAY74FINAL.PDF#page=12.

178.

S ee Court Cases: League of Women Voters of Florida v. Cobb, Brennan Center for Justice (Aug. 8 2008), available at
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/league_of_women_voters_of_florida_v_cobb/.

179.

Id.

180.

League of Women Voters v. Cobb, 447 F. Supp. 2d 1314 (D. Fla. 2006).

181.

Court Cases, supra note 178.

182.

J erome R. Stockfisch, Lawmakers Cut Time to File Hurricane-Related Claims, Tampa Trib., May 6, 2011, http://www2.
tbo.com/news/politics/2011/may/05/lawmakers-cut-time-to-file-hurricane-related-claim-ar-205183/; Bill cutting early
voting hours heads to governor, Tampa Bay Online, May 5, 2011, available at http://www2.tbo.com/news/politics/2011/
may/05/bill-cutting-early-voting-hours-heads-to-governor-ar-205181/.

183.

 atherine Whittenburg & Lindsay Peterson, Bill Would Cut Early Voting Period in Florida to 7 Days, Tampa Trib., Apr.
C
28, 2011, http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2011/apr/28/bill-would-cut-early-voting-period-in-florida-to-7ar-203024/.

184.

 eague of Women Voters of Collier County, available at http://www.lwvcolliercounty.org/ (last visited September
L
3, 2011).

185.

Id.

186.

 etter from Lee Rowland, Democracy Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice & Mark A. Posner, Senior Counsel, Lawyers’
L
Comm. for Civil Rights Under the Law, to Chris Herren, Chief, Voting Section, U.S. Dep’t. of Justice (July 15, 2011),
available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/4713a8395c96f48085_p7m6iv6sh.pdf.

187.

Citizens Without Proof, supra note 4.

188.

 etter from Wendy Weiser, Brennan Center for Justice, et al., to T. Christian Herren, Chief, Voting Section, U.S. Dep’t
L
of Justice (Sept. 14, 2011), available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/772eab3b160f2da9f7_n4m6ivkrc.pdf.

189.

See “Focus: Early Voting on Sunday and the Black Vote,” infra at 33.

190.

Rowland & Posner, supra note 186.

191.

 endy Weiser et al., Brennan Center for Justice, Modernizing Voter Registration: Momentum in the
W
States 7-9 (2010), available at http://www.brennancenter.org/page/-/Democracy/VRM%20State%20Trends%20Final.
pdf?nocdn=1.

voting LAW CHANGES | 49

192.

Id.

193.

 argaret Lillard, Same-Day Voter Registration OK’d, Star News Online (Aug. 22, 2007, 3:30 AM), http://www.
M
starnewsonline.com/article/20070822/NEWS/708220479/-1/State.

194.

 ary Lu Carnevale, Ohio Gets Green Light on Same-Day Registration and Voting, Wall St. J.: Wash. Wire (Oct. 1, 2008,
M
3:28 PM), http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/01/ohio-gets-green-light-on-same-day-registration-and-voting/.

195.

S ee Brennan Center for Justice, Eliminating Barriers to Voting: Same Day Registration (2001), available at
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/eliminating_barriers_to_voting_election_day_registration/; Election Day
Registration, Common Cause, http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4849117 (last visited July
19, 2011); Election Day Registration, Demos, http://archive.demos.org/page18.cfm (last visited July 19, 2011); Election Day
Voter Registration, League of Women Voters Me., http://www.lwvme.org/EDR.html (last visited July 19, 2011).

196.

 DR states in the 2004 presidential election had on average a 12% higher turnout rate than non-EDR states, and 7%
E
higher turnout in the 2008 presidential election. Demos, Voters Win With Election Day Registration (2009),
available at http://www.demos.org/pubs/voterswin_09.pdf.

197.

 oger Larocca & John S. Klemanski, U.S. State Election Reform and Turnout in Presidential Elections, 11 St. Pols. &
R
Pol’y Q. 76 (2011), http://spa.sagepub.com/content/11/1/76.full.pdf.

198.

S ee Hearing on S.B. 641 Before the Cal. State Assemb. Comm. on Elections and Redistricting (July 5, 2011) (statement of Steven
Carbó, Senior Program Director, Demos), available at http://www.demos.org/pubs/Assembly_Elections_Comm.pdf (stating
that in Iowa, the number of provisional votes dropped from 14,661 in 2004 to 4,725 in 2008 and in North Carolina, there
were nearly 40,000 fewer provisional ballots cast in the 2008 presidential race than in the 2006 midterm election).

199.

I n 2004, 35.5% of provisional ballots cast were not counted. Election Data Services, Inc., 2004 Election Day
Survey Report (2005), available at http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/AssetManager/2004%20EAVS%20Chapter%206.pdf.
In 2006, over 20% of provisional ballots cast in the 2006 midterm election were rejected. U.S. Election Assistance
Commission, Casting and Counting Provisional Ballots (2007), available at http://archives.eac.gov/program-areas/research/doc/eds-2006/2006-eds-casting-and-counting-provisional-ballots.pdf/. In 2008, 28.2 percent of provisional
ballots were rejected. U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 2008 Election Administration and Voting Survey
(2009), available at http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Documents/2008%20Election%20Administration%20and%20Voting%20Survey%20EAVS%20Report.pdf.

200.

 ontana Lawmakers Vote to End Same-Day Voter Registration, Associated Press, Apr. 5, 2011, http://www.ktvq.com/
M
news/montana-lawmakers-vote-to-end-same-day-voter-registration/; Nancy Doty, ‘Modernization of Elections’ Bill Is a Bad
Joke, Colorado Statesman, Apr. 9, 2010, http://www.coloradostatesman.com/content/991753-%3Fmodernizationelections%3F-bill-a-bad-joke; Press Release, Me. House Democrats, Republicans Vote to Prevent Election Day Registration (June 6, 2011), available at http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=HouseDems+News&id=25695
4&v=Article.

201.

 ebekah Metzler, Same-Day Voter Sign-Up Set Back, Kennebec J., June 9, 2011, http://www.kjonline.com/news/same-dayR
voter-sign-up-set-back_2011-06-08.html.

202.

 etailed Bill Information: HB 152, Mont. Leg., http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws11/LAW0203W$BSRV.ActionQuery?P_
D
BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=HB&P_BILL_NO=180&P_BILL_DFT_NO=&P_CHPT_NO=&Z_ACTION=Find&P_
SBJ_DESCR=&P_SBJT_SBJ_CD=&P_LST_NM1=&P_ENTY_ID_SEQ= (last visited Aug. 2, 2011); Unofficial Votes
for House Bill 194, 129th Gen. Assemb. of the State of Ohio, http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/votes.cfm?ID=129_
HB_194 (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

203.

 arian McCue, Republicans Move to Abolish Same-Day Voting Registration, New Me. Times, June 1, 2011, http://www.
M
newmainetimes.org/articles/2011/06/01/republicans-move-abolish-same-day-voting-registration/.

204.

 inda McCulloch, Existing Law Good for Democracy, Missoulian, Apr. 13, 2011, http://missoulian.com/news/opinion/
L
columnists/article_19504edc-6a92-11e0-8c93-001cc4c03286.html.

205.

 ebekah Metzler, Maine’s Same-Day Voter Registration Ban Signed, Challenged, Portland Press Herald, June 22, 2011,
R
http://www.pressherald.com/news/same-day-registration-ban-signed-challenged_2011-06-22.html.

50 | Brennan Center for Justice

206.

 ary Lu Carnevale, Ohio Gets Green Light on Same-Day Registration and Voting, Wall St. J.: Wash. Wire (Oct. 1, 2008,
M
3:28 PM), http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/01/ohio-gets-green-light-on-same-day-registration-and-voting/.

207.

I d.; Martin Gottlieb, Vote/Register Overlap Bad in ‘08, Not in ‘10, Dayton Daily News: Opinion Blog (Sept. 28, 2010,
5:56 PM), http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/opinion/entries/2010/09/28/.

208.

S .B. 657, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (N.C. 2011), available at http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/
House/PDF/S657v1.pdf.

209.

 ress Release, Legislation and Executive Orders Signed by Governor, John R. Kasich, Governor State of Ohio, July
P
5, 2011, http://governor.ohio.gov/Portals/0/pdf/news/07.05.11,%20Bills%20and%20EOs%20signed%206.30%20
and%207.1.pdf; Unofficial Votes for House Bill 194, 129th Gen. Assemb. of the State of Ohio, http://www.legislature.
state.oh.us/votes.cfm?ID=129_HB_194 (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

210.

 ress Release, Ohio Sec’y of State, Secretary of State Husted Statement on Signing of Elections Reform Legislation (July
P
1, 2011), http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/PressReleases/2011/2011-0701.aspx.

211.

 nn Sanner, Ohio Election Law Foes OK to Resume Repeal Effort, ctpost.com (Aug. 18, 2011), http://www.ctpost.com/
A
news/article/Ohio-election-law-foes-OK-to-resume-repeal-effort-2119083.php.

212.

S ee Election Reforms Pass the Senate, WTAM, June 24, 2011, http://www.wtam.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=122520&article=8751888; Toledo Rally Aims to Spread Opposition to Election Bills, Toledo Blade, July
15, 2011, http://beta.toledoblade.com/local/2011/07/15/Toledo-rally-aims-to-spread-opposition-to-election-bills.html.

213.

S ee Mark Niquette, U.S. States Tighten Voting Regulation With Republicans in Charge, Bloomberg, Aug 25, 2011, http://
www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-25/republicans-make-drive-to-tighten-state-voting-rules-before-2012-elections.html.

214.

Sanner, supra note 211.

215.

See Niquette, supra note 213.

216.

 etailed Bill Information: HB 180, Mont. Leg., http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws11/LAW0203W$BSRV.ActionQuery?P_
D
BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=HB&P_BILL_NO=180&P_BILL_DFT_NO=&P_CHPT_NO=&Z_ACTION=Find&P_
SBJ_DESCR=&P_SBJT_SBJ_CD=&P_LST_NM1=&P_ENTY_ID_SEQ= (last visited July 19, 2011); Unofficial Votes
for House Bill 194, 129th Gen. Assemb. of the State of Ohio, http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/votes.cfm?ID=129_
HB_194 (last visited July 19, 2011).

217.

 arc Kovac, Ohio Senate Postpones Vote on Photo ID Bill, Recordpub.com (June 24, 2011), http://www.recordpub.com/
M
news/article/5055667.

218.

 ebekah Metzler, Same-Day Voter Sign-Up Set Back, Kennebec J., June 9, 2011, http://www.kjonline.com/news/sameR
day-voter-sign-up-set-back_2011-06-08.html.

219.

Me. House Democrats, supra note 200.

220.

 harles E. Summers Jr., Ending Same-Day Registration Protects ‘Integrity of Maine’s Elections’, Bangor Daily
C
News, June 2, 2011, http://bangordailynews.com/2011/06/02/opinion/ending-same-day-registration-protects%E2%80%98integrity-of-maine%E2%80%99s-elections%E2%80%99/.

221.

 lection Day Voter Registration, League of Women Voters of Me., http://www.lwvme.org/EDR.html (last visited July
E
13, 2011).

222.

Norden & Allen, supra note 63, at 37.

223.

 harles S. Johnson, House Votes to Nix Same-Day Registration, Helena Indep. Rec., Feb. 4, 2011, http://helenair.com/
C
news/article_222d75d8-3032-11e0-9e18-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1RvmtAFSi.

224.

Me. House Democrats, supra note 200.

225.

 aniel Person, Lawmakers Give Final OK to Nixing Same-Day Registration, Bozeman Daily Chron., Apr. 5, 2011,
D
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_6024bcc0-5f12-11e0-bfed-001cc4c002e0.html.

voting LAW CHANGES | 51

226.

S usan M. Cover, Wording of People’s Veto Is Set, Portland Press Herald, July 7, 2009, http://www.pressherald.com/
news/wording-of-peoples-veto-is-set_2011-07-07.html.

227.

 ric Russel, People’s Veto of Same Day Registration Ban Will Be Question 1 in November, September 12, 2011, http://banE
gordailynews.com/2011/09/08/politics/people%E2%80%99s-veto-of-same-day-voter-registration-ban-will-be-question1-in-november/?ref=latest.

228.

 . Michael Alvarez et al., 2008 Survey of the Performance of American Elections (2009), available at http://
R
www.vote.caltech.edu/drupal/files/report/Final%20report20090218.pdf.

229.

S ee Frequently Asked Questions, Early Voting Information Center, http://earlyvoting.net/faq (last visited Aug. 2,
2011); Editorial, They Want to Make Voting Harder?, N.Y. Times, June 6, 2011, at A20, available at http://www.nytimes.
com/2011/06/06/opinion/06mon1.html?_r=1.

230.

J an E. Leighley & Jonathan Nagler, Pew Center on the States, The Effects of Non-Precinct Voting Reforms
on Turnout, 1972-2008 (2009), http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewcenteronthestatesorg/
Initiatives/MVW/Leighley_Nagler.pdf?n=8970; Paul Gronke, et al., Early Voting Information Center at Reed
College, Early Voting and Turnout (2007), available at http://thecommoninterest.org/docs/Gronke2007.pdf.

231.

 ony Barboza, In O.C., It’s a Lot Easier to Vote, L.A. Times, Nov. 2, 2008, http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/02/local/
T
me-ocregistrar2.

232.

 enjamin Highton, Long Lines, Voting Machine Availability, and Turnout: The Case of Franklin County, Ohio in the 2004
B
Presidential Election, 39 PS: Pol. Sci. & Pols. 65 (2006), available at http://www.apsanet.org/imgtest/PSJan2006Highton.pdf. (estimating that long lines in Franklin County Ohio in 2004 prevented 22,000 citizens from voting).

233.

 2005 survey of likely voters showed that 69% of Democrats, 66.4% of Independents and 53.4% of Republicans favored
A
the ballot issue allowing for early voting in Ohio. Ray C. Bliss, The 2005 Ohio Ballot Initiatives: Public Opinion on
Issues 1-5 (2005), available at http://www.uakron.edu/bliss/research/archives/2005/finalballotissuereport.pdf. See also Carol
Anne Clark Kelly, Early Voting: Getting the Jump on Election Day, Nat’l Pub. Radio (Nov. 4, 2006), http://www.npr.org/
templates/story/story.php?storyId=6431903; Jo Becker, Voters May Have Their Say Before Election Day, Wash. Post, Aug.
26, 2004, at A01, available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33796-2004Aug25.html.

234.

S ee, e.g., Winston Jones, New Law Shortens Early Voting Period, Times Georgian June 14, 2011, http://www.timesgeorgian.com/view/full_story/14217170/article-New-law-shortens-early-voting-period?instance=west_ga_news; Kurt
Browning, Letter to the Editor, Pro: New Early Voting Rules Combat Fraud and Protect Voter Access, Fla. Times Union,
May 31, 2011, http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters-readers/2011-05-31/story/pro-new-early-voting-rules-combatfraud-and-protect-voter.

235.

J im Morrill, House Votes to Shorten Early Voting, Charlotte Observer, May 19, 2011, http://www.newsobserver.
com/2011/05/19/1208104/house-votes-to-shorten-early-voting.html; Editorial, Only the Foolish Limit Early Voting,
News & Record, May 18, 2011, http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/05/17/article/editorial_only_the_foolish_limit_early_voting.

236.

S ee, e.g., Editorial, They Want to Make Voting Harder?, N.Y. Times, June 6, 2011, at A20, available at http://www.nytimes.
com/2011/06/06/opinion/06mon1.html?_r=1; Joy-Ann Reid, In Florida, GOP Squeezes Obama-Friendly Voters, Miami
Herald, May 1, 2011, http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/01/2194520/in-florida-gop-squeezes-obama.html.

237.

 .B. 1355, 2011 Leg. Sess. (Fla. 2011), available at http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.
H
aspx?FileName=_h1355er.docx&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=1355&Session=2011; H.B. 92, 2011 Gen. Assemb.
(Ga. 2011), available at http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/116254.pdf; H.B. 850, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg.
Sess. (Md. 2011), available at http://mlis.state.md.us/2011rs/bills/hb/hb0850f.pdf; A.B. 311, 76th Leg. (Nev. 2011), available at http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Bills/AB/AB311.pdf; H.B. 352, 50th Leg., 1st Sess. (N.M 2011), available at http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/11%20Regular/bills/house/HB0352.pdf; S.B. 657, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess.
(N.C. 2011) available at, http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/Senate/PDF/S657v1.pdf; H.B. 194, 129th Gen.
Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ohio 2011), available at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_194_PS_N.html;
S.B. 772, 107th Gen. Assemb., 2011 Reg. Sess. (Tenn. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/107/Bill/SB0772.
pdf; S.B. 581, 80th Leg., 1st Sess. (W. Va. 2011), available at http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Text_HTML/2011_SESSIONS/RS/pdf_bills/sb581%20ENR.pdf.

52 | Brennan Center for Justice

238.

 .B. 138, 2011 Gen. Assemb. (Ga. 2011), available at http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108934.pdf; S.B
H
1596, 214th Leg. (N.J. 2011), available at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2010/Bills/S2000/1596_I1.pdf; H.B. 194, 129th
Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ohio 2011), available at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_194_PS_N.
html; A.B. 7, 2011 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Wis. 2011), available at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/data/acts/11Act23.pdf.

239.

 .B. 185, 82d Leg., Reg. Sess. (Tex. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/
H
HB00185H.pdf#navpanes=0.

240.

 atrick Marley, Bill Affects More than Voter ID, Absentee Ballots Limited, Primary Date Moved in New GOP Version, MilP
waukee J.-Sentinel, Apr. 27, 2011, http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/120748279.html.

241.

I n-person early voting previously began thirty-five days before an election, and now begins seventeen days beforehand.
However, H.B. 194 eliminated voting on Sundays and only allows voting for half of each Saturday, resulting in only
eleven early voting days prior to an election. H.B. 194, 129th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. § 3509.01(B) (Ohio 2011),
available at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_194_PS_N.html.

242.

 .B. 194, 129th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ohio 2011), available at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_
H
HB_194_PS_N.html.

243.

 .B. 194, 129th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. §§ 3509.03, 3509.031 (Ohio 2011), available at http://www.legislature.state.
H
oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_194_PS_N.html.

244.

Lawrence Norden & Jessie Allen, supra note 63, at 59.

245.

 ounty, State Officials Reach Resolution in Ohio Battle over Absentee Ballot Applications, The Republic, Sept. 2, 2011,
C
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/5279a17cd5224ba6a05d3fe4761aca1f/OH--Ohio-Elections-2012/.

246.

Id.

247.

2 011 Fla. Laws 40, available at http://laws.flrules.org/files/Ch_2011-040.pdf; see also Justin Levitt, A Devil in the Details
of Florida’s Early Voting Law, Election Law Blog (May 23, 2011), http://electionlawblog.org/?p=18296.

248.

H.B. 92, 2011 Gen. Assemb. (Ga. 2011), available at http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/116254.pdf.

249.

S .B. 923, 107th Gen. Assemb., 2011 Reg. Sess. (Tenn. 2011), available at http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/107/Bill/
SB0923.pdf.

250.

S .B. 581, 80th Leg., 1st Sess. (W. Va. 2011), available at http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Text_HTML/2011_SESSIONS/RS/pdf_bills/sb581%20ENR.pdf.

251.

H.B. 138, 2011 Gen. Assemb. (Ga. 2011), available at http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108934.pdf.

252.

S.B 1596, 214th Leg. (N.J. 2011), available at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2010/Bills/S2000/1596_I1.pdf.

253.

S .B. 657, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (N.C. 2011), available at http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/
House/PDF/S657v1.pdf.

254.

S .B. 47, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (N.C. 2011), available at http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/Senate/PDF/S47v4.pdf.

255.

I n Florida, H.B. 1355 passed the House 77 yeas to 38 nays and the Senate 25 yeas to 13 nays. CS/CS/HB 1355: Elections,
Fla. House of Reps., http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=46543&SessionIndex=-1&Se
ssionId=66&BillText=&BillNumber=1355&BillSponsorIndex=0&BillListIndex=0&BillStatuteText=&BillTypeIndex=0&
BillReferredIndex=0&HouseChamber=H&BillSearchIndex=0 (last visited Aug. 2, 2011). In Georgia, H.B. 92 passed the
House 148 yeas to 20 nays and the Senate 34 yeas to 20 nays. H.B. 92 Status History, Ga. Gen. Assemb., http://www.legis.
ga.gov/legislation/en-US/display.aspx?BillType=HB&Legislation=92 (last visited Aug.2, 2011). In Ohio H.B. 194 passed
the House 59 yeas to 40 nays and the Senate 23 yeas to 10 nays. Status Report of Legislation: HB 194, 129th Gen. Assemb.
of the State of Ohio, http://lsc.state.oh.us/coderev/hou129.nsf/House+Bill+Number/0194?OpenDocument (last visited
Aug. 2, 2011). In Tennesse, S.B. 772 passed the House 75 ayes to 11 nays and the Senate 23 ayes to 3 nays and S.B. 993
passed the House 72 ayes to 9 nays and the Senate 21 ayes to 12 nays. Bill Information for SB 0772, Tenn. Gen. Assemb.,
http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0772 (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

voting LAW CHANGES | 53

256.

I n West Virginia S.B. 581 was co-sponsored by Democratic Majority Leader John Unger II and Republican Minority
Whip Karen L. Facemyer. The bill passed the House 89 yeas to 9 nays and the Senate with 33 yeas and zero nays. Bill
Status: House Bill 581, W. Va. Leg., http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_history.cfm?year=2011&sessiontype=RS
&btype=bill (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

257.

J an E. Leighley & Jonathan Nagler, Pew Center on the States, The Effects of Non-Precinct Voting Reforms
on Turnout, 1972-2008, 22 at table 1 (2009), http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewcenteronthestatesorg/Initiatives/MVW/Leighley_Nagler.pdf?n=8970; Absentee and Early Voting, Nat’l Conference of State
Legislatures, http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16604, (last updated Oct. 12, 2010).

258.

 inston Jones, Lawmakers Split on Shortening Early Voting, Times Georgian, Feb. 5, 2011, http://times-georgian.com/
W
view/full_story/11273799/article-Lawmakers-split-on-shortening-early-voting?instance=west_ga_news.

259.

Editorial, Cutting Early Voting Is About Money, Not Race, Herald Sun, May 20, 2011, http://www.heraldsun.net/
view/full_story/13353708/article-Cutting-early-voting-is-about-money--not-race?instance=most_commented.

260.

Jones, supra note 258.

261.

J im Morrill, GOP Proposal Would Cut a Week from Early Voting, Charlotte Observer, Apr. 27, 2011, http://www.
charlotteobserver.com/2011/04/27/2251564/gop-proposal-would-cut-a-week.html#ixzz1RXidbvMJ.

262.

 ditorial, They Want to Make Voting Harder?, N.Y. Times, June 6, 2011, at A20, available at http://www.nytimes.
E
com/2011/06/06/opinion/06mon1.html?_r=1.

263.

S ee, e.g., Editorial, Voting Law’s Sunday Punch, June 15, 2011, Herald Trib., http://www.heraldtribune.com/
article/20110615/OPINION/110619722; Scott Maxwell, The Real Frauds Are Backers of Bad Election Bill, Orlando Sentinel, May 10, 2011, http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-10/news/os-scott-maxwell-early-voting-051111-20110510_1_early-voting-absentee-voting-convenient-voting.

264.

 .B. 194, 129th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ohio 2011), available at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_
H
HB_194_PS_N.html.

265.

 .B. 1355, 2011 Leg. Sess. (Fla. 2011), available at http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.
H
aspx?FileName=_h1355er.docx&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=1355&Session=2011.

266.

S .B. 657, 2011 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (N.C. 2011), available at http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/
House/PDF/S657v1.pdf.

267.

 aura Leslie, Why Ban Sunday Voting?, WRAL.com, June 16, 2011, http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/blogL
post/9737378/.

268.

J oy-Ann Reid, In Florida, GOP Squeezes Obama-Friendly Voters, Miami Herald, May 1, 2011, http://www.miamiherald.
com/2011/05/01/2194520/in-florida-gop-squeezes-obama.html; Dan Tokaji, Blocking the Vote in Ohio, Innovation
Ohio (June 22, 2011), http://innovationohio.org/blog/guest-post-blocking-the-vote-in-ohio; Justin Levitt, A Devil in the
Details of Florida’s Early Voting Law, Election Law Blog (May 23, 2011), http://electionlawblog.org/?p=18296.

269.

Laura Leslie, supra note 267.

270.

 rank Cerabino, Early Voting Change Might Reduce Black Participation, Palm Beach Post, July 6, 2011, http://www.
F
palmbeachpost.com/news/cerabino-early-voting-change-might-reduce-black-participation-1587638.html.

271.

Id.

272.

 ditorial, Toledo Rally Aims to Spread Opposition to Election Bills, Toledo Blade, July 15, 2011, http://beta.toledoblade.
E
com/local/2011/07/15/Toledo-rally-aims-to-spread-opposition-to-election-bills.html.

273.

 etter from Lee Rowland & Mark A. Posner to Chris Herren, Chief, Voting Section, U.S. Dept. of Justice (July 15,
L
2011), available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/4713a8395c96f48085_p7m6iv6sh.pdf.

54 | Brennan Center for Justice

274.

 aura Leslie, Why Ban Sunday Voting?, WRAL.com (June 16, 2011), http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/blogL
post/9737378/.

275.

J eff Manza & Christopher Uggen, Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy 76
(2006).

276.

S entencing Project, Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States 1 (Mar. 2011), available at http://
sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/fd_bs_fdlawsinusMar11.pdf.

277.

Id.

278.

 hristopher Uggen, et al., Criminal Disenfranchisement, 1 Ann. Rev. L. & Soc. Sci. 307, 319 (2005) (“With the excepC
tion of Belgium, the United States stands alone in disenfranchising large numbers of nonincarcerated persons for lengthy
or indefinite periods.”).

279.

S ee, e.g., Ky. Const. of 1792 art. VIII, § 2, available at http://felonvoting.procon.org/sourcefiles/1792_KY_Constitution.
pdf.

280.

 rika Wood, Brennan Center for Justice, Restoring the Right to Vote 6 (2009), available at http://
E
brennan.3cdn.net/5c8532e8134b233182_z5m6ibv1n.pdf.

281.

S tate Based Advocacy, Brennan Center for Justice, http://www.brennancenter.org/content/pages/state_based_advocacy (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

282.

 rika Wood, Turning Back the Clock in Florida, Huffington Post (Mar. 10, 2011, 4:26 PM), http://www.huffingtonE
post.com/erika-wood/turning-back-the-clock-in_b_834239.html.

283.

 ate Zernike, Iowa Governor Will Give Felons the Right to Vote, N.Y. Times, June 18, 2005, available at http://www.
K
nytimes.com/2005/06/18/national/18iowa.html.

284.

S ee Gary Fineout, Study: Fewer Ex-Felons Back in Prison After Rights Restored, Herald Tribune, July 21, 2011, http://
htpolitics.com/2011/07/21/study-fewer-ex-felons-back-in-prison-after-rights-restored/.

285.

 ill Status for SB 243, Ala. Leg. Info. Sys. Online, http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLoginMac.
B
asp?SESSION=1058 (follow “bills” hyperlink; then follow “status” hyperlink; then search “SB243”) (last visited Aug. 2,
2011); House Bill 385: History by Legislative and Calendar Date, Md. Gen. Assemb., http://senate.state.md.us/2011rs/
billfile/HB0385.htm (last visited Aug. 2, 2011); H. 3168, 119th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (S.C. 2011), available
at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess119_2011-2012/bills/3168.htm; Bill Information, S.C. Bill Info. http://www.
scstatehouse.gov/php/web_bh10.php (search “3168”) (last visited Aug. 2, 2011); Bill Information, Wash. St. Leg.,
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1030#documents (last visited Aug. 2, 2011); H.B. 2089, 80th Leg.,
1st Sess. (W. Va. 2011), available at http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2089%20intr.
htm&yr=2011&sesstype=RS&i=208; Bill Status, W. Va. Leg., http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_history.
cfm?year=2011&sessiontype=RS (search “Bill Quick Search” for “2089”) (last visited Aug. 2, 2011).

286.

 la. Parole Comm’n, Rules of Executive Clemency (Mar. 9, 2011), available at https://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemF
ency_rules.pdf.

287.

 rika Wood, Restoring the Right to Vote Gains Momentum, Brennan Center for Justice (Apr. 9, 2007), http://www.
E
brennancenter.org/blog/archives/restoring_the_right_to_vote_gains_momentum/.

288.

 rennan Center For Justice, Criminal Disenfranchisement Laws Across the United States (2011), http://
B
www.brennancenter.org/page/-/Democracy/USA_RTV_MAP_2011.pdf.

289.

Iowa Exec. Order No. 42 (July 4, 2005), available at http://brennan.3cdn.net/563fe831695be5a1fa_nwm6bvbik.pdf.

290.

 etter from Thomas M. Susman, Am. Bar Ass’n Gov’t Affairs Office, to Governor-Elect Terry Branstad, State of Iowa
L
(Jan. 13, 2011), available at http://www.brennancenter.org/page/-/Democracy/ABALettertoBranstadonExecutiveOrder42.pdf.

voting LAW CHANGES | 55

291.

 omas Beaumont, Secretary of State Urges Branstad to Rescind Rule on Iowa Felons’ Voting Rights, Des Moines Reg., Jan.
Th
13, 2011, at B2; Paul Flemming, Felons Must Wait Years for Rights, Fla. Today, Mar. 10, 2011, at B6.

292.

Editorial, A Step Back for Ex-Felons, Pensacola News J., Mar. 21, 2011.

293.

 oheb Hassanali, Ex-felons May Have a Tougher Time Voting in Iowa, KTVO (Jan. 13, 2011, 2:02 PM), http://www.
Z
heartlandconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=566995.

294.

 atthew Hendley, Rick Scott and Cabinet’s Decision for Ex-Con Voting Hurdles Seems Bogus, Study Implies, Broward-Palm
M
Beach New Times, July 22, 2011 http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2011/07/rick_scott_cabinet_ex_felon_voting_rights_florida_parole_commission_study.php.

56 | Brennan Center for Justice

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