In November, Nevada voters could decide whether to join three dozen other states in requiring voters to show valid ID before voting. And Maine may not be far behind, as pressure for voter ID requirements is growing across the country, despite conflicting studies on the impact of the requirement.
Conservative organizers in Nevada say they have collected enough signatures to qualify their proposal for the general election. It would amend the state constitution to require voters to show ID at polling places or provide some form of identification on mail-in ballots – such as the last four digits of a driver’s license or a Social Security number.
“We’ve seen over the last 20 years that there have been questions about voters and fraudulent ballots,” said David Gibbs, chairman of Repair the Vote PAC, a North Las Vegas-based group that is leading the ballot initiative effort. “This is one way to stop that. A lot of people are looking at this and it makes sense.”
If the bill comes to a vote and voters approve it in November, they will have to vote on it again in 2026, as is required to amend the state constitution.
It has a good chance of being accepted. According to a June Opinion poll According to Fox News, 84% of registered voters in Nevada support the introduction of voter ID. These results reflect national poll numbers The Pew Research Center found in February that 81% of U.S. adults support showing a government-issued photo ID when voting.
Voting rights advocates quote Research shows that such rules deter many legitimate voters – especially adolescent, black and Latino voters – from the polls. But supporters of voter ID laws point to other studies that suggest the rules minimal impact on voter turnoutThis is partly because Democrats often respond with increased voter mobilization efforts.
For more than a decade, Republican lawmakers have pushed for stricter voter identification laws. Thirty-six states require that you have some form of identification to vote, although laws vary from state to state regarding accepted identification and requirements for voting by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
This list can get longer.
In May, the Republican-led New Hampshire legislature passed a measure that would require residents to show proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has not yet signed the bill.
In Maine, conservative activists are still Collect signatures to put their voter ID measure on the November 2025 ballot. Maine does not require photo ID at polling places, and Democratic lawmakers are try to keep it that wayon the grounds that this could exclude residents who are less likely to have a driver’s license from voting.
Voting rights activists say voter ID laws can lead to confusion at polling places and that states that implement these laws should do more to ensure equal access to official IDs.
“The more complicated we make voting, the more hurdles we put in people’s way, the more pitfalls there are for people who are simply trying to participate in our democracy,” says Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the voting rights program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, a nonprofit progressive policy organization.
The Brennan Center, together with the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement and the voting rights organizations Public Wise and VoteRiders, published a survey in June, which found that nearly 21 million U.S. citizens of voting age do not have a valid driver’s license.
The survey also found that more than a quarter of black and Latino adults do not have a driver’s license with a current name or address – more than their white and Asian American peers. A much higher percentage of adolescent people also do not have a current ID, it said.
Getting a novel driver’s license takes time and money, which can be more tough for people of lower socioeconomic status, Morales-Doyle said. And those who earn less tend to change addresses frequently, he added.
The more complicated we make voting, the more hurdles we put in people’s way, the more pitfalls there are for people who are simply trying to participate in our democracy.
– Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Voting Rights Program at the Brennan Center for Justice
The poll also showed that there are significant gaps in voters’ understanding of state voter ID laws: It found that more than half of Americans in states that require ID to vote were unaware of their state’s laws. A March study report by NBC News found that 29 million Americans live in states that have implemented novel voter ID laws since 2020.
The recent elections in North Carolina And Ohio illustrate the impact: Confusion over voter ID requirements led to the rejection of provisional ballots.
VoteRiders is trying to raise awareness and knowledge about voter ID requirements through its on-the-ground efforts, a 24/7 helpline, and the distribution of SMS, posters and PSA.
The group has organizers in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin who go to college campuses, LGBTQ+ Pride events, health clinics and community resource fairs and provide information about those states’ voter ID laws. Annually, the group helps more than 10,000 people get ID.
“One of the things that keeps me up at night is thinking about how dramatically the rules of the voting game have changed since 2020,” said Lauren Kunis, CEO of the nonpartisan group. “I worry that many people will be unprepared in November when it comes to ID and other aspects of the voting process.”
In Nevada, Repair the Vote PAC last week submitted more than 179,000 signatures it collected across the state, using both volunteers and a company it hired to go door-to-door and stand outside grocery stores and libraries. The state requires more than 102,000 valid signatures, including a certain number in each congressional district. State and local officials must now validate those signatures.
Gibbs, the group’s chairman, argues that the novel ID requirement does not create barriers to voting. He rejected the argument that voter ID would make it harder for people of color or low-income people to cast their ballots.
“To get a job, you need a photo ID. To open a bank account, you need a photo ID. You need a photo ID for almost everything,” he told Stateline. “I personally don’t know anyone who doesn’t have one, but then again, you can get one.”
