"For decades, the politics of voter-ID battles were based on a simple premise: The voters most likely to be screened out by such restrictions were probably Democrats. In 2024, however, that fact stopped being true. Trump beat Kamala Harris among voters who didn't regularly participate in elections."
"Making voting more difficult would most likely hurt Republicans' chances, yet they're pushing hard to make that happen; meanwhile, Democrats, who insist that Trump and a MAGA Congress are existential threats to American democracy, refuse on principle to help Republicans sabotage themselves."
"In the fall of 1998, Democratic volunteers greeted Black churchgoers in New York as they headed into prayer, handing each congregant a leaflet that read, 'When We Vote, We Win.' The slogan crystallized what had become conventional wisdom: Higher turnout helps Democrats, the party of the downtrodden."
The SAVE America Act represents a fundamental shift in voter ID politics that neither party has fully recognized. Historically, voter ID restrictions were designed to suppress Democratic voters who were younger, lower-income, less educated, and nonwhite—demographics with lower turnout rates. However, the 2024 election revealed this dynamic has inverted. Trump performed better among irregular voters, while Democrats now dominate among educated, engaged voters. Recent low-turnout elections show Democrats overperforming, indicating their strength with consistent participants. Despite this reversal, Republicans continue pushing voter ID restrictions that would likely harm their own electoral prospects, while Democrats oppose them on principle rather than strategic advantage.
Read at The Atlantic
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