Sec. 2. Findings

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Congress finds the following: Free, fair, and secure elections are necessary to the prosperity of democracy in the United States and around the world. The right to vote is a crucial aspect of American citizenship and must be protected from any potential interference, abuse, and fraud. The passage of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 improved and standardized State and local governments’ administration of Federal elections, but lacked strong provisions to validate a voter’s identity prior to their voting.

In 2005, the bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform co-chaired by former Democratic President Jimmy Carter and former Republican Secretary of State James A. Baker III released a report which explicitly recommended that States require voters to use a valid identification that includes their full legal name, date of birth, a signature, and a photo. A public survey conducted by the reputable, nonpartisan Monmouth University Polling Institute in June 2021 indicated that an overwhelming 80 percent of Americans support requiring voters to show a photo identification in order to vote.

Valid identification is required by the States and the Federal Government for a multitude of serious purposes in public life such as driving or renting a car, boarding an airplane or train, traveling within and outside of the United States, purchasing alcohol or controlled substances, picking up prescription medication, opening a bank account or cashing a check, applying for employment or housing opportunities, and much more. As determined by the Congressional Research Service, 161 nations worldwide—approximately 83 percent—require their citizens to present a form of identification in order to vote, including 38 of the top 50 most democratic nations identified by the Democracy Index 2021.

More than two-thirds of the States already request or require citizens to show a form of identification in order to vote, 22 of which request or require a photo identification for the purposes of voting.