Declining Democracy: The Impact of Indiana’s Voter Identification Law on Voter Turnout

• In Event: 458 - Regular Session. The Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Religion

Abstract

Despite controversy, laws which require voters to show various forms of identification, commonly referred to as voter identification (ID) laws, have become increasingly prevalent since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Indiana’s voter ID in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board. These laws vary in stringency, with some requiring multiple forms of photo identification in order to participate in elections. Some scholars argue that these laws disproportionately affect underrepresented groups, especially racial and ethnic minorities by adding additional barriers to the voting process. Using fixed-effects regression and data from Catalist and the U.S Census, this study examines the effects of Indiana’s voter ID law on voter turnout at the county level. Pennsylvania, and Nebraska, are used as comparison states and the 2000, 2004, and 2008 elections are included. Preliminary findings indicate a significant negative effect of voter ID laws on turnout. This study advances scholarship which suggests that these laws are not only unnecessary, but also harmful to democratic integrity of the election system.

Author

• Daniel Adam Nicholson, Indiana University