Google Gemini was used to research this piece. This Essay was posted on 8/24/2025.
In a recent letter to the editor a Maine voter suggested that the new proposed voter id law would make Maine’s elections more transparent and reduce the incidence of voter fraud. I don’t agree for the following reasons.
First, voter fraud caused by ineligible voters is a rarity. It is so rare that the number of occurrences can be counted on a hand or two. A Loyola Law School study found only 31 occurrences over a 15-year period and covering over 1 billion votes. Voter fraud caused by ineligible voters is a non-problem.
Second, when there are strict voter id laws typically requiring a photo id, the voter turnout can be reduced by a small but significant amount. In Tennessee and Kansas voter turnout was reduced by 2-3%. In Texas the low percentage of voter turnout loss amounted to 600,000 voters. This can be a real problem in close elections where poor and minority voters have trouble acquiring a proper voter id.
Third, Maine’s proposed voter id law is a strict law requiring a photo id that would make it harder for some of Maine’s poorer citizens to vote.
Strict voter id laws solve a non-problem and target a specific voter class. The only purpose voter id laws serve is voter suppression.
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