Study Finds Republican Voter Suppression Is Even More Effective Than You Think

[deminks]

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/02/02/3745296/major-voter-id-study/

For years, researchers warned that laws requiring voters to show certain forms of photo identification at the poll would discriminate against racial minorities and other groups. Now, the first study has been released showing that the proliferation of voter ID laws in recent years has indeed driven down minority voter turnout, and by a significant amount.

In a new paper entitled “Voter Identification Laws and the Suppression of Minority Votes”, researchers at the University of California, San Diego — Zoltan Hajnal, Nazita Lajevardi — and Bucknell University — Lindsay Nielson — used data from the annual Cooperative Congressional Election Study to compare states with strict voter ID laws to those that allow voters without photo ID to cast a ballot. They found a clear and significant dampening effect on minority turnout in strict voter ID states.

(Note: ThinkProgress was provided an updated version of the paper [not currently available on the web] that includes data from the 2014 elections. The numbers in this article reflect the updated paper, not the web version linked above.)

For example, the researchers found that in primary elections, “a strict ID law could be expected to depress Latino turnout by 9.3 points, Black turnout by 8.6 points, and Asian American turnout by 12.5 points.”

The impact of strict voter ID was also evident in general elections, where minority turnout plummeted in relation to the white vote. “For Latinos in the general election, the predicted gap more than doubles from 4.9 points in states without strict ID laws to 13.5 points in states with strict photo ID laws,” the study found. That gap increased by 2.2 points for African Americans and by 5 points for Asian Americans. The effect was even more pronounced in primary elections.

(snip)

In a key finding, the study showed that “Democratic turnout drops by an estimated 8.8 percentage points in general elections when strict photo identification laws are in place,” compared to just 3.6 percentage points for Republicans. Even worse for the left is the impact on the ideology of the electorate. “For strong liberals the estimated drop in turnout in strict photo identification states is an alarming 7.9 percentage points,” researchers found. “By contrast, strong conservatives actually vote at a slightly higher rate – 4.8 points – in strict ID states, all else equal.”

(end snip)

[msongs]

1. they've had 7 years to do what they want with very little opposition from the feds nt

[KamaAina]

2. SCOTUS pretty much tied the feds' hands by striking down the Voting Rights Act

the enforceable part of it, anyway.

[groundloop]

4. Exactly.... and how do we fix that? (hint.... not gonna happen with a GOP controlled Congress)

Can't blame Obama, 'the Feds' or anyone else for this other than the republican controlled Congress and the republican controlled Supreme Court. The only way this can be remedied is with new, enforceable laws, and that won't happen until we regain control of Congress.

[elljay]

6. Military Bases

Doesn't the executive branch still have the power to close or move military bases? Many of these states live off federal largesse. They are passing laws that disenfranchise American citizens, thereby creating a pool of people whose disconnection from the American system may make them more receptive to anti-American radicalization, creating a national security problem. In view of this, Obama should relocate U.S. military bases from these states. Why do we continue to enable their anti-American behavior?

[Cosmocat]

19. It isn't the "feds" fault

it is the people ...

There is NOTHING that should piss people off more than blatant, out and out obvious, acts by politicians to hinder the right to vote.

Any state level pol who brought these measures up, much less voted for them, should have been run out of office by a landslide in the next election.

But, for the most part, these state level house and senate members and governors suffered literally no consequences for doing it.

That is OUR fault.

I remember a somewhat testy exchange between my state representative and myself over this. I work a poll, and it is very republican, and I was imploring him that we had 85 year old veterans and wives of veterans that we were losing at our poll over the bullshit voter id stuff they were pushing, people THAT VOTED FOR HIM AND REPUBLICANS with single click party voting, and he could have given a shit, because he was worried about all this supposedly voter fraud in the big city.

He was getting reelected regardless, so he could give a fuck if some of his constituents got lost in the shuffle if it meant he could be a team player and gain an advantage at the state level for his party ...

No one in this state that voted for the voter id rule, which was never fully implemented, and eventually fully over turned by the courts, lost reelection over it ...

[Octafish]

3. Geez. That's a lot of votes!

For example, the researchers found that in primary elections, “a strict ID law could be expected to depress Latino turnout by 9.3 points, Black turnout by 8.6 points, and Asian American turnout by 12.5 points.”

One'd think it'd be of interest to all who care about democracy.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

5. more than a billion dollars every year and more than 30 "think tanks"...

long term thinking and careful planning has changed the very essence of America

[Bigredhunk]

7. This

n/m

[blackspade]

8. They work as designed.

The suppression of minorities and Democrats is the only way Repubs can win.

[Todays_Illusion]

9. Thanks to propaganda as news this is spun as, "those Democratic voters stay home." nt

It has been the prime talking point since the laws came into effect, blame the voter they are deliberately excluding for the election outcomes.

But what I want to know is why there has been no push-back from Democratic elected, and most of all no push-back voter registration assistance from the money the DNC collects but then only spends on conservative third way Democratic candidates.

[lark]

10. So, it's happening exactly as the Repugs wished.

They just flat out lie about their true aims, like always. If they told the truth, they'd never win any election, their actions are so contrary to the common good.

[JunkYardDogg]

11. To Control America, They Control the Elections

Thanks for the link
Voter ID laws are but one component of their control of America's elections
And Eric Holder could have done something about this, the ID laws still violate other laws

The Proper Name for all this is "Election Manipulation"
Not "election Fraud"
It includes:
Voter list cleansing & removal of qualified voters
Voter suppression tactics
not enough machines
consolidation of precincts
voter intimidation tactics
Voter ID laws
Gerrymandering
Elimination of paper ballots (i.e. evidence)
Accessible to electronic (on line) hacking systems
Rerouting tabulation to out of state servers
Rigged programs
Tabulation Manipulation (Vote tabulation altering)
It also helps when Voting machine companies are owned by active Right Wing players
Hart Inter Civic-owned by H.I.G. Capital. One of the two founders was previously at Bain Capital and was a top Romney campaign person. He is on the Board of Hart. 15 of H.I.G.'s management were previously at Bain.
Obama/Eric Holder did not do an f'n thing to investigate election tabulation manipulation. The Rethugs know that they can get away with everything and anything with impunity

[NorthCarolina]

12. So basically, they verified "common sense" is actually common sense.

eom

[The Wizard]

13. This is the primary threat

to self governance. Circumventing free and fair elections comes right out of Stalin's playbook.

[mountain grammy]

14. The clear and present threat to democracy.

[Enthusiast]

16. Huge +1!

[Enthusiast]

15. Racist Scalia and the rest.

[oberliner]

17. Poll taxes and literacy tests

Modern day version.

[Bluenorthwest]

18. People really need to retain interest in this subject between elections and work to improve their

State's election systems while pressuring the Federal government to take what actions it can as well.

[rladdi]

20. Voters keep electing Republican Governors and you will not have any rights. Since the Republicans

in Washington, wants the states to have total control. This could happen if they win in 2016. The Republican states are the real suppressors of citizens.