When Republican Nikki Haley was the governor of South Carolina, her state handled voter ID issues by making it free and easy for anyone to obtain legal identification for voting or other purposes. The Legislature passed a bill and she signed it into law, requiring voter ID and providing for all aspects of obtaining an ID for free.
“When I was governor, we passed voter ID in South Carolina. If you didn't have a photo ID, we offered you a ride to the DMV — free of charge,” Haley said after leaving office, noting that only 25 people asked for a ride. “Voter ID isn't racist; it's common sense,” she added.
Under the South Carolina law, voters are required to show a driver’s license, military ID, passport or the special free DMV photo ID.
Haley further explained that, after she made it public how little the system was utilized, voter ID became less of an issue in South Carolina. That law, designed to improve South Carolina in terms of integrity, accountability and transparency, is still in place today.
In 2023, Haley stated, “This is a no-brainer. Every American citizen should have to show a photo ID to vote ... Voter ID will be the law of the land — just like we did in South Carolina.”
Currently, 12 states and the District of Columbia do not require most residents to have an ID to vote, with some exceptions.
According to the group Stand for America, which Haley founded, some of the activities requiring people to show an ID include:
-- Purchasing alcohol
-- Purchasing cigarettes
-- Opening a bank account
-- Applying for food stamps
-- Applying for unemployment
-- Buying auto insurance
-- Boarding an airplane
-- Renting a hotel room
-- Getting married
-- Applying for Social Security and
-- Renting a car.
A Pew Research Center survey found that 83% of Americans support requiring a government-issued ID to vote. Interestingly, the poll also found that even 71% of Democrats supported the measure. A recent Gallup poll showed an 84% favorable rating for requiring an ID to vote. The Gallup poll also showed that more than 83% percent of people supported requirements to verify proof of citizenship for first-time voters.
During an NBC Nightly News broadcast, news anchor Tom Llamas confirmed that voter ID laws have widespread public support, even though “the vast majority of Democrats on Capitol Hill oppose them.”
Last month, CNN Data Analyst Harry Enten summed up the public consensus on the issue: “The bottom line is this: voter ID is not controversial in this country. A photo ID to vote is not controversial in this country. It is not controversial by party and it is not controversial by race.”
