President Donald Trump recently renewed his advocacy for the SAVE America Act, emphasizing its provision requiring photo identification for voters in federal elections. However, the bill remains stalled in the Senate, with concerns about its timely implementation for the November 2026 elections.

Trump has argued that opposition to voter ID laws stems from a desire to cheat, stating, "the only reason you wouldn't do it is you want to cheat because your policies are so bad, and your candidates are so pathetic, that you…can't get elected any other way." Critics, however, present objections unrelated to facilitating illegal voting.

Research on the impact of voter ID laws presents mixed findings:

  • A 2020 study by John Kuk and colleagues found that turnout gaps between racially diverse and less diverse counties increased more in states enacting strict photo ID laws. Sociologist Jennifer Darrah-Okike and collaborators reported voter ID requirements could reduce self-reported voting by up to four percentage points, disproportionately affecting Latino citizens.

  • Conversely, Rocha and Matsubayashi reported no statistically significant relationship between photo or nonphoto ID laws and voter turnout among whites, blacks, and Latinos from 1980 to 2010, noting a positive association between nonphoto ID laws and Latino turnout.

  • A widely cited 2021 study by economists Enrico Cantoni and Vincent Pons found no negative effect of voter ID laws on registration or turnout across demographic groups from 2008 to 2018.

  • Earlier research by Jason Mycoff and colleagues in 2009 also concluded that voter ID laws do not affect turnout.

  • Bullock III reported a small suppression effect in Georgia's voter ID law, reducing turnout by about 0.4 percentage points in 2008 among registrants lacking proper ID, without racial or ethnic bias.

  • Similarly, Justin Grimmer and Jesse Yoder estimated a 0.7 percentage point turnout decrease in North Carolina's 2016 primary among voters without ID.

  • Economist Noah Braun noted in 2024 that voter ID laws have had an ambiguous impact on turnout, with declines in Virginia linked primarily to reduced registration rates in areas with fewer driver's licenses.

Additional provisions in some states allow alternatives to photo ID, such as affidavits, voter vouching, or exemptions for voters in nursing homes.

Overall, the weight of evidence suggests voter ID laws do not consistently advantage Republicans or suppress minority turnout to a significant degree.

Sources

  • Reason, Jacob Sullum, "Research Suggests Trump and His Opponents Are Both Wrong About the Impact of Voter ID Requirements," July 20, 2026, link