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Balancing Fraud Prevention and Electoral Participation: Attitudes Toward Voter Identification

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  • Lonna Rae Atkeson
  • R. Michael Alvarez
  • Thad E. Hall
  • J. Andrew Sinclair

Abstract

type="main"> This article examines public opinion on the effectiveness and consequences of voter identification laws, focusing on the core issue in the Supreme Court's reasoning in the 2008 case that upheld an Indiana photo-ID law, Crawford v. Marion County Election Board. We use a unique survey from New Mexico, where voter identification policies have recently undergone important changes. Questions in the survey examine whether voters think that ID laws protect against fraud and prevent legitimate participation, which point of view voters find more compelling, and whether attitudes toward voter identification are related to voter confidence. Most voters think that voter ID laws prevent fraud, but many voters think that ensuring access to the polls is more important than preventing fraud. Among other variables that explain differences among individuals, partisanship plays an important role. The framing of voter identification policies plays an important role in how such laws are interpreted by the public and Republicans are especially concerned about fraud in elections.

Suggested Citation

  • Lonna Rae Atkeson & R. Michael Alvarez & Thad E. Hall & J. Andrew Sinclair, 2014. "Balancing Fraud Prevention and Electoral Participation: Attitudes Toward Voter Identification," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 95(5), pages 1381-1398, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:95:y:2014:i:5:p:1381-1398
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/ssqu.12110
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cobb, Rachael V. & Greiner, D. James & Quinn, Kevin M., 2012. "Can Voter ID Laws Be Administered in a Race-Neutral Manner? Evidence from the City of Boston in 2008," Quarterly Journal of Political Science, now publishers, vol. 7(1), pages 1-33, March.
    2. repec:cup:apsrev:v:23:y:1929:i:04:p:908-914_11 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. repec:cup:apsrev:v:3:y:1909:i:01:p:62-63_00 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Atkeson, Lonna Rae & Adams, Alex N. & Alvarez, R. Michael, 2014. "Nonresponse and Mode Effects in Self- and Interviewer-Administered Surveys," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(3), pages 304-320, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. R. Michael Alvarez & Jian Cao & Yimeng Li, 2021. "Voting Experiences, Perceptions of Fraud, and Voter Confidence," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(4), pages 1225-1238, July.
    2. Russell Weaver, 2015. "Can Voter Identification Laws Increase Electoral Participation in the United States? Probably Not—A Simple Model of the Voting Market," SAGE Open, , vol. 5(2), pages 21582440155, April.
    3. Brian Fogarty & David Kimball & Lea Kosnik, 2016. "The Media, Voter Fraud, and the 2012 Elections," Working Papers 1012, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Department of Economics.

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