Viral Voter ID Fraud Claims Lack Context

An image recently went viral on social media showing that most states Vice President Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential election have no law requiring voters to provide photo identification.

The Details: The image, from a Newsmax (Right bias) broadcast, gained traction with Elon Musk and some Trump supporters on X, with implications spreading that Harris won states without photo identification requirements because of voter fraud. Twelve of the nineteen states that Harris won do not require any form of documentation to vote, and most that she won do not require photo identification; however, President-elect Donald Trump also won some states without identification requirements, such as Pennsylvania.

For Context: While it’s true that most states Harris won don’t require voters’ identification, and there’s no evidence of voter fraud at a level that could have impacted the outcome of these electoral contests. In addition, according to Ballotpedia, "federal law requires newly registered voters to provide either a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security Numbers at the time of registration." Liberal states are less likely to establish identification laws, and conservative states are more likely to adopt policies to pursue and deter potential voter fraud. 

How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the right largely covered the story similar to how Newsmax did, while outlets on the center and left were more prevalent in coverage and criticized slant from the right. Some outlets on the center and left used slant themselves by labeling claims as “false” instead of “misleading” or “partially false” and disputing semantics rather than the right’s overall stance. Updated 11/26/24 at 3:45pm ET for clarity around ID requirements for voter registration.