So far, we have explained why the Proof of Citizenship Initiative disenfranchises thousands of legal voters, makes our elections less secure and violates several federal laws. We have also shown that there are several other options that reduce the risk of non-citizens voting while still protecting the rights of all legal voters. Sadly, proponents of the Proof of Citizenship Initiative have made several false claims about the Initiative that might mislead the voters. We will therefore address some of these false claims in this article.
There are no polls showing support for requiring every legal voter to get an “Enhanced” Drivers License or Real ID Card
The worst of these false claims is the claim that “polls show support for this monster.” What the polls actually show support for is requiring normal ID such as your normal Drivers License when voting. They do not show support for either creating a national centralized Real ID Database or for disenfranchising tens of thousands of legal Washington voters.
Proponents of the Voter ID Initiative have claimed that there are polls confirming that voters would support their Voter ID Initiative.
A March 2021 poll by Rasmussen Reports indicates that 75% of Americans support voter ID laws that require voters to show photo identification before voting — including 60% of Democrats. Only 21% oppose such laws.
Voters overwhelmingly support laws requiring that voters show identification before casting a ballot. Seventy-five percent (75%) of Likely US Voters believe voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to vote. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of Republicans support voter ID requirements, as do 60% of Democrats and 77% of voters not affiliated with either major party.
A 2021 NPR poll found that 80% of Americans want voter ID. However, a majority of Americans believe ensuring access to voting is more important than rooting out fraud, the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey finds. At the same time, there was broad agreement that people should have to show identification when they go to the polls. By a 56% to 41% margin, survey respondents said making sure that everyone who wants to vote can do so is a bigger concern than making sure that no one who is ineligible votes.
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans said they believe voters should be required to show government-issued photo identification whenever they vote.
A 2024 Gallup poll found that 83% of Americans favored first time voters to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote. This included 96% of Republicans, 84% of Independents and 66% of Democrats.
But look more closely at all of the above questions. The support is for first time voters to provide proof of citizenship – not for requiring ALL current voters to take extra steps to provide proof of their own citizenship. In addition, the Gallup poll did not define the term “proof of citizenship.”
Also, the support is for showing a normal Drivers License when voting – not for forcing existing legal voters to be removed from the voting rolls.
Historically, Washington law has always required proof of citizenship for first time voters. For example, minors applying for a Washington Drivers License were able to provide proof of citizenship by being accompanied by a parent with an existing Washington Drivers License which confirmed that the minor was a legal citizen because their parent was a legal citizen. It is only recently that Washington laws were expanded to allow non-citizens to get Drivers Licenses and be automatically registered to vote. The problem is with the new laws – not with the existing voters.
The same 2024 Gallup poll also found that 84% of Americans favored requiring voters to provide photo ID in order to vote. This obviously is not possible with mail-in ballots. But even this Gallup poll question did not define “photo ID.” It is likely that most people were thinking of requiring a “normal” drivers license in order to vote. The Washington Voter ID Initiative would require an “Enhanced” Drivers License, also known as Real ID, or an original Birth Certificate, in order to register to vote.
But in addition, it applies to ALL VOTERS, not just first time voters. A more accurate poll question would be to ask Washington’s 5 million current voters if they want to force 3 million of them to find their Birth Certificates and bring them to their county auditor to remain on the voting rolls – because that is what the Washington Voter ID initiative really does.
Conclusion
It is political suicide to make claims about polls that are not true. Voters will easily see through this Initiative and will vote to protect their rights and the rights of their loved ones to vote without ridiculous and impossible obstacles placed in their way. Instead of promoting an Initiative that makes our election system worse, we should be focusing on the real problem – which is getting the Washington State Department of Licensing to stop issuing normal Drivers Licenses to non-citizens and stop registering non-citizens to vote in Washington state in violation of both state and federal laws.