Threats to Democracy: Voter Suppression and Voter Fraud

Voting is a major issue on the right and the left. Both sides want free and fair elections, but they have different ideas of what the problem is with our current election model, with one side more likely to be worried about voter fraud and the other, voter suppression.

Politicians and partisan media often try to motivate their base to subscribe, donate, engage and turn out to vote by blaming the other party. This can slowly degrade citizens’ trust in the democratic process until their fears are resolved or positive changes are made.

The left sees voter suppression as a major issue because it deprives eligible citizens from shaping democracy and having their voices heard. 

Voter ID laws are one form of suppression the left hones in on. While the criticisms of voter ID come predominantly from those on the left according to 2021 data, 62% of Democrats support voter ID laws. According to the ACLU (Lean Left), millions of Americans lack ID, and minorities would be disproportionately affected by a requirement to show ID. Some see laws requiring ID as an intentional move to block minority and low-income groups from voting because IDs cost money, which would prevent eligible citizens from having access to voting. The ACLU argues that even free IDs require voters to incur costs due to travel expenses and document fees to acquire birth certificates, etc.