America Votes

Arkansas Supreme Court Upholds New Voter ID Law

Legislators drafted the law in question after the state's supreme court struck down a similar law in 2014.

Arkansas Supreme Court Upholds New Voter ID Law
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The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a voter ID law the state passed in 2017 — after striking down a similar law in 2014. 

This time around, the court — which has changed substantially in the intervening years — ruled the law complied with the state constitution because it gave voters two ways to vote without a photo ID. 

Under the law, voters can sign a sworn statement verifying their identity under penalty of perjury or they can present a qualifying ID to the county board of election commissioners by the Monday after the vote. 

While supporters of voter ID laws argue they're necessary to prevent voter fraud, audits have found fraud is already a rarity, and that the laws discourage and restrict voting, especially among minorities. 

The day before the Arkansas ruling, a Missouri judge struck down several provisions of that state's voter ID law. The day before that, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene to stop a similar law in North Dakota. In her dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that law could disenfranchise close to 20,000 people.