Poll finds growing support for voter ID requirements

A large majority of voters support laws requiring photo identification, according to a new poll from an election integrity group conducted as Democrats push for sweeping elections reforms.

A poll released this week from the Honest Elections Project found 81 percent of voters surveyed support requiring every voter to show a photo ID to cast a ballot.

The poll found support for voter ID laws rose by 4 percentage points from March to July, and it increased by 13 percentage points among Black voters surveyed.

While some Democrats have raised concerns that voter ID requirements will disenfranchise low-income voters who may not have a photo ID, 74 percent of those surveyed for the poll said they support providing free identification to voters who need one rather than doing away with ID requirements.

The poll was conducted by the Honest Elections Project, a nonpartisan group led by Jason Snead, who previously worked at the conservative Heritage Foundation. It surveyed 1,200 registered voters nationwide from July 8 to 17, and it has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

The survey findings were released just before Democrats on Tuesday introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a signature elections bill that party leaders have touted as a major priority despite an unclear path to passage through Congress.

The newly introduced legislation will seek to reinstate the oversight power of the Voting Rights Act, which has been cut down in recent years.

The bill named after the civil rights icon follows efforts from Democrats to pass the For The People Act, a massive elections package that has run into opposition in the Senate.

President Biden and other Democrats have called for Congress to pass voting rights legislation as GOP-led states like Texas, Arizona and Georgia enact tougher voting laws that critics argue will make it more difficult for some Americans to vote. The new laws add ID requirements and additional layers to vote by mail or via absentee ballot following record turnout in the 2020 election.

Biden has likened the new laws to “Jim Crow on steroids.” The Honest Elections Project poll found those attacks may contribute to distrust in elections, however, as 56 percent of voters surveyed said they are worried such rhetoric could lead to doubt in future results.