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Jim Crow 2.0: Voter ID May Disenfranchise 1 Million Young Minorities
SOURCE:
A new study found that as many as 1 million young minority voters might be unable to cast a ballot in states where these laws are in effect. A total of 17 states have passed Voter ID laws, including key swing states like Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
There are only 52 days until the election, and while mainstream news coverage has primarily focused on measuring how successful the campaigns are in connecting with and persuading voters, there is something else that could impact the election. The wave of voter ID laws passed in state legislatures across the country during the last two years. These laws risk disenfranchising a significant portion of voters, but still remain under the radar for most Americans.
Recent court decisions have recognized the disproportionate impact that these laws would have on minority groups, but this study focuses on the impact these laws would have on the intersection of two of the most progressive groups: young and minority voters.
Both presidential campaigns have reached out to young voters this election season, but if entire groups of this growing voting bloc are unable to pull the lever this November, it could all be for naught. In fact, the study estimates that overall, these laws could cause African-American and Latino youth turnout to decrease by 25 and 16 percent, respectively.
There are efforts in states like Pennsylvania to increase awareness and educate voters about the new requirements, but as long as any of these laws stand, there will be major roadblocks between Millennial voters, members of the most diverse generation in America’s history, and the ballot box on November 6.
See the original article here on Pushback.org, the blog of Campus Progress Action
Abraham White is a communications associate at Campus Progress. Follow him on Twitter @abwhite7.
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