The controversy is that registered voters show ID before they 're allowed to vote. The state had failed to meet its requirement, under the Voting Rights Act, to show that the measure would not disproportionately disenfranchise registered minority voters. Even using the data most favorable to the state, Hispanics disproportionately lack either a driver’s license or a personal identification card.
The voter ID law very probably reduces turnout, but not by more than a couple of percentage points. And although Democratic voters may be more affected by the laws, some Republican voters will be disenfranchised by them, too.
The measure was part of a wave of new voting restrictions passed around the country, mostly by Republicans, after their sweeping victories in the 2010 elections. Supporters argue that such restrictions are necessary to prevent fraud.
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Obtaining photo ID can be costly and burdensome, photo ID laws create a new "financial barrier to the ballot box. It would have blocked hundreds of thousands of Hispanic voters from the polls just because they lack a state-issued photo