Help America Vote Act - HAVA

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) -- also known as the Motor Voter Act -- helped expand voting opportunities for Americans. This Act required Departments of Motor Vehicles to carry voter registration forms and to register any driver license renewal and applicant. The Act also legalized mail-in voter registration.

HAVA Title III set national standards for the kind of identification that voters must bring to polls. HAVA requires that states mandate ID for the first-time voter who registered by mail, if the registration did not require ID. Any voter who has not previously voted in a federal election must also provide ID.

There are two approved forms of ID -- photo and non-photo. Any current and valid government-issued photo identification fulfills the photo ID requirement. A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with the name and address of the voter fulfills the non-photo ID requirement.

In September 2005, the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform recommended that all voters be required to show a standard photo ID at the polls. (Report As PDF)

The Commission endorsed the "Real ID card, which Congress has mandated as the driver’s license of the future. For the 12% of voting-age citizens who do not possess a driver’s license, the Commission recommended that states provide a free ID card that contains the same key personal information."

Status of State ID Requirements
Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have codified the minimum HAVA ID requirements: CA, DC, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OK, OR, RI, UT, VT, WV, WI, WY

Another 18 states require ID -- photo or non-photo -- for all voters: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CO, CT, DE, GA, KY, MT, NM, ND, OH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA

Six states require all voters to show photo ID: FL, HI, IN, LA, MO SD

Two states require photo or non-photo ID of all first-time voters: KS, PA

Source: ElectionLine Database


See HAVA Overview, eVoting Flawed