Voter Identification and the Right to Vote

In recent years, states across the country have considered or implemented stricter voter identification requirements, including photo identification requirements. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana's photo identification law from constitutional challenge in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board. In December 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice blocked South Carolina's photo identificationrequirement after concluding the law would significantly burden non-white voters. These debates are taking place in Iowa as well, with multiple voter identification proposals advancing in the legislature in recent years, most recently with legislation enacting a photo identification requirement being proposed by Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz. Come hear from two diverse perspectives on the legal and policy implications of voter identification requirements in Iowa and around the nation.

Featuring:

• Mr. Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow and Manager, Civil Justice Reform Initiative of The Heritage Foundation, and former Federal Election Commission Commissioner
• Mr. Ben Stone, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa
• Moderator: Justice Edward Mansfield, Iowa Supreme Court
• Introduction: Mr. Samual P. Langholz, State Public Defender of Iowa and President, Iowa Lawyers Chapter