Indiana and Georgia passed the first strict photo ID laws in 2005. The Supreme Court upheld Indiana's law in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (2008). As of 2025, 36 states had laws requesting or requiring ID at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The rules vary widely: some accept a utility bill, others accept only certain photo IDs.
Getting an ID can cost money and time. A person may need a birth certificate, a trip to an office with limited hours and transportation to get there. In 2016, a federal appeals court struck down North Carolina's 2013 voting law, including its ID rule, finding it targeted Black voters with almost surgical precision.
Voter ID laws spread quickly after Shelby County v. Holder (2013) ended federal preclearance. Texas announced it would enforce its photo ID law within hours of that decision. The laws matter because a small drop in turnout can decide a close election.