Advocates worry new bans on student IDs will trip up young voters
Several U.S. states have passed laws banning the use of student IDs for voter verification at polling places, sparking legal challenges from advocacy groups. Critics argue these laws disproportionately burden young voters, while proponents claim they are necessary for election security.
Why it matters
The debate over student ID requirements is a central point of contention in the broader U.S. struggle over voting access and election integrity.
To vote in the 2024 election, Lia Symer remembers checking in at her polling place with her student ID card.
"I tend to not carry my driver's license on my person when I'm walking around campus. Most students just carry their student IDs to get into buildings," says Symer, who's about to start her senior year at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire — one of about three dozen states with in-person voter ID laws .
But to cast a ballot this year, Symer is going to need to show a state ID, U.S. passport or another accepted identification now that New Hampshire has become the latest of several states to ban registered voters from using a student ID to verify their identity at the polls.
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