The Uneven Application of Voter ID Laws

Abstract: Previous research has found that minority voters are more likely to be asked to show identification than white voters. However, this claim is based on data from just two states during a single election. I investigate the uneven application of voter ID laws by race across all fifty states over four national election cycles. First, I confirm that Black and Hispanic voters are significantly more likely to report being asked for identification compared to whites. However, I show that the minority-white ID gap only appears in states without a voter ID law, where the gap is approximately 18 percentage points. Second, I show that states that newly adopt some form of Voter ID law eliminate the minority-white ID gap, suggesting that ID laws cause the minority-white ID gap to close. Finally, I analyze mechanisms and find that the evidence is most consistent with poll workers treating voters differently based on race, rather than other factors that may be correlated with race.