The founders left most voting requirements up to the states, and our Constitution now protects the right to vote for citizens over 18 years of age. A majority of states currently have laws in place requiring photo IDs for voting, but some of these face legal challenges.

Supporters of photo ID laws argue that the integrity of the process needs to be protected against fraud through voter identification. Opponents believe these laws suppress voting and make it difficult for certain groups of people to vote.

This lesson plan presents a balanced approach to teach about the potential impact of voter ID laws on voter participation. Carefully selected C-SPAN video clips are supplemented with articles representing a variety of points of view.

Objective:

Students will research voting requirements in various states, legal challenges to those requirements, and conduct a deliberation activity around the question: Do state laws requiring photo ID unfairly affect voter participation?