JURIST - Paper Chase: Federal appeals judge questions Indiana voter ID law challenge

[JURIST] Judge Richard Posner of the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit [official website] expressed skepticism Wednesday that an Indiana law requiring voters to show ID cards [Indiana SOS backgrounder, PDF] at the polls would prevent some citizens from casting ballots. During oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the Indiana law [JURIST report] as disproportionately burdensome for the poor, elderly, minorities, and individuals who are handicapped, Posner identified the failure of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana [advocacy website] to find a single person who would be disenfranchised by the new law. Republicans say requiring ID cards [JURIST news archive] at polls will prevent voter fraud [JURIST report], which Democrats dispute by pointing out that voters do not require ID cards to cast absentee ballots. Opponents also contend that the law will burden voters, particularly the elderly and the poor, who possess driver's licenses or passports in fewer numbers.

Courts in Missouri and Georgia have rejected the controversial voter ID laws, while a judge in Arizona recently granted an emergency injunction to suspend the state's voter ID law [JURIST reports]. It is unlikely that the federal appeals court will reach a decision in the Indiana case before the November 7 general election. AP has more.

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