On Nov. 6, former President Donald Trump won in enough states to secure the 270 votes needed for a majority in the electoral college and became the 47th president of the United States.
Following the election, people on social media claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris, who conceded the race on Nov. 6, only won in states that have no voter ID laws.
“Kamala won EVERY SINGLE state that doesn’t require voter ID…. She didn’t win a SINGLE state that requires it. It’s insane that this is just being ignored,” one post said. Another reads, “It's a curious coincidence that Kamala Harris won every state that doesn't require voter ID…”
The posts imply ineligible people may have voted for Harris in states that don't have strict laws about providing identification at the polls. We looked into whether the viral claims about the laws are true.
THE QUESTION
Did Kamala Harris win all of the states with no voter ID laws?
THE SOURCES
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- Various state laws
THE ANSWER
No, Kamala Harris did not win all of the states with no voter ID laws.
WHAT WE FOUND
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states require voters to show some form of identification at the polls or sign an affidavit swearing they are who they say they are.
Fourteen states don’t require people to show ID when they vote in person. Of those, Vice President Kamala Harris is projected to win 12 of them. Harris is the projected winner in 19 states and Washington, D.C.
In Pennsylvania, which Trump is projected to win, only first-time voters must show identification and that can be both photo and non-photo IDs. In Nevada, where Trump is also projected to win, no photo ID is required but poll workers verify someone’s identity by confirming the person’s signature on the Election Day is the same on the voter’s registration form.
Harris is projected to win Colorado, where all voters who vote at the polls must show a form of identification, but it doesn’t have to include a photo. New Hampshire, where Harris also is projected to win, requires a photo ID, but if someone doesn’t have one, a poll worker takes a photo of the voter and attaches it to an affidavit.
Nine states – Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin – have stricter rules that require voters to show a state-issued photo ID. Harris didn’t win in those states.
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