Voter Identification and Citizenship Requirements: Overview and Issues (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised March 7, 2007 |
| Report Number |
RS22505 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Kevin J. Coleman, Government and Finance Division; Eric A. Fischer, Resources, Science, and Industry Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA, P.L. 107-252) requires that certain voters who had registered by mail present a form of identification from a list specified in the act. States vary greatly in what identification they require voters to present, ranging from nothing beyond the federal requirement to photographic identification for all voters. The adequacy of the current federal requirement has been controversial, and several bills were introduced in the 109th and previous Congresses both to broaden and restrict that requirement. H.R. 4844 (Hyde), which was passed by the House on September 20, 2006, would have required voters to present photo identification with proof of citizenship when voting in federal elections.
Proponents for implementing such additional federal requirements assert that they are necessary to prevent vote fraud, although statistics on the occurrence or impact of such fraud have not been compiled at either the state or federal level. There are, however, reported instances of non-citizens voting in elections regularly. (See, for example, Chris Ramirez, "Prop. 200 Focus of House Hearing," Arizona Republic, August 4, 2006.) Objections to such requirements focus on the problems they might create for some classes of otherwise eligible voters, particularly in the absence of strong evidence linking non-citizen voting to vote fraud, and on the longstanding practice of limiting federal involvement in the administration of elections by states. This report, which will not be updated, presents background information on identification requirements for voting and discusses potential benefits and disadvantages of the provisions in H.R. 4844.
