GOP Moves to Tighten Vote Rules in 13 States

Seeking to preserve the integrity of the delegate process, GOP-controlled statehouses nationwide are stiffening voting laws with changes that include requiring valid photo identification, restricting early voting, and imposing stricter rules on those who can register to vote.

Republicans in 13 states - where changes have either been passed or introduced in the past few months - say they are trying to ensure voters are qualified; Democrats counter the moves are politically based and aimed at weeding out young and minority voters - many of whom comprise the party's base.

Recently, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas joined Kansas and South Carolina, and signed laws that would require valid photo identification before a voter could cast a ballot. Twelve states now require photo indentification to vote. Gov. Rick Scott of Florida signed a bill in May to tighten restrictions on third-party voter registration organizations and to shorten the number of early voting days. The battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania are among those considering voter-identification bills.

"If you have to show a picture ID to buy Sudafed, if you have to show a picture ID to get on a airplane, you should show a picture ID when you vote," Gov. Nikki Haley said in May when she signed the South Carolina law. Democrats say there is little proof of voter-impersonation fraud, that the GOP-led laws ring of racism, and target those who tend to vote Democrat.

Democrats also point to state figures showing there are few proven cases of voter impersonation and question why Republicans would want to spend taxpayer dollars on an insignificant problem, considering states' fiscal problems.

"There is not one documented case that has been presented to us, and we had numerous hearings," said Democratic South Carolina state Sen. Brad Hutto . "Republicans have to have some reason to do this because it doesn't sound good to say, we don't want Latinos or African-Americans voting."

State Republicans have long attempted to legislate photo identification requirements and other changes, said Daniel Tokaji, a law professor at Ohio State University and an expert in election law. Previous bills were largely derailed after the Bush Administration fired several United States attorneys whom Republicans had criticized for failing to aggressively investigate voter fraud. "That's what really killed the momentum of more states' enacting voter ID laws," Tokiji said. "Now with the last elections, with the strong Republican majorities in a lot of states, we're seeing a rejuvenation of the effort."

Republicans say increased immigration nationwide has spearheaded the push to make sure elections are legitimate. "Over the last twenty years we have seen Florida grow quite rapidly, and we have such a mix of populations," said state Sen. Dennis K. Baxely, the Florida Republican who wrote the law to tighten third-party registration in his state. "When we fail to protect every ballot, we disenfranchise people who participate legitimately.

"The changes are likey to have an impact on close elections," Tokiji said."Remarkably, most of those significant changes are going under the radar," he added. "A lot of voters are going to be surprised and dismayed when they go to their polling place and find that the rules have changed."

Most measures would require people to show a form of official valid identification to vote. While drivers licenses are the most common form, voters an also request free photo ID's from the Department of Motor Vehicles or use a passport or military identification, among other things. But Democrats say the extra step will discourage voters who will have to pay to retrieve documents, like birth certificates, for proof to obtain a free card.

A few state bills and laws also reduce the number of early voting days, which Democrats also oppose. In the 2008 presidential election, a majority of those who cast early votes did so for President Obama. In Florida, the number of days is reduced but the number of hours remains the same. In Georgia, where photo ID's became a requirement in 2007, minorities voted in record numbers in 2008 and 2010. Turnout among Hispanic voters jumped 140 percent in the state in 2008 and 42 percent among blacks compared with 2004, a change attributed in part to Obama's candidacy. In the midterm election two years later, turnout also rose among Hispanics and African-Americans, according to data from the Georgia secretary of state.

But with the presidential elections in 15 months, Democrats are taking their own offensive. The Democratic Governors Association started a Voter Protection Project in May to educate voters and encourage them to speak out against the measures.