Senator Dick Durbin (D–IL) recently held a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee in order to beat up on states that have passed voter ID laws, which he mistakenly claims “suppress” minority voters like Hispanics. He will no doubt be very unhappy at a poll just released by Resurgent Republic that shows overwhelming support by Hispanics for voter ID. Obviously, Hispanics don’t believe their vote is being suppressed—and that is confirmed by actual voter turnout in states with photo ID laws like Georgia and Indiana, showing that these suppression claims are completely bogus.
The poll, conducted by the well-respected pollster Whit Ayres, asked Hispanic voters in Florida, Colorado, and New Mexico whether they opposed or supported “laws that would require registered voters to present photo identification, such as a drivers license, in order to cast their vote.” The results were the complete opposite of the claims made by Durbin and the witnesses who appeared at the Senate hearing on September 8 opposing voter ID (I also testified at the hearing in support of voter ID laws).
These poll results are particularly significant since all three states have large Hispanic populations. The Census says that almost 23 percent of Floridians are of Hispanic origin, and 88 percent of those Hispanic voters in the Sunshine state support voter ID requirements, according to the Resurgent Republic poll. Hispanic support in Colorado (with a 20 percent Hispanic population) for voter ID was 71 percent, and in New Mexico (with a 46 percent Hispanic population) it was 73 percent.
Neither Hispanic voters nor voters of other races agree with the untenable position taken by Durbin and other opponents. Voters of all ethnicities agree that voter ID is an easily met, commonsense requirement that protects the security and integrity of the election process.
