Fact check: Kamala Harris only won where voter ID is not required?

Since the president’s election, allegations of election fraud and irregularities have been relatively quiet. Donald Trumpvictory despite reports leading up to the results that republicanThe campaign was prepared to challenge the result.

Although there were unfounded accusations of fraud in battleground states the result was not contested on election night Democratswith the vice president Kamala Harris delivering his concession speech on Wednesday.

However, claims of election irregularities have intensified since then, with conspiracy theorists on social media claiming Harris’s only wins were in states that did not require voter ID.

Claim

Several messages on X, earlier Twittersaid Kamala Harris only won in states that don’t require voter ID.

User @michelleweekley, published November 6, 2024, viewed 2.2 million times: “Kamala has only won in states that don’t require voter ID. Do you understand, anon?

User @fulovitbossNovember 6 also wrote that “Kamala won every state that doesn’t require voter ID. #CatchingOnYet #DodgyDems“

Other users, including Elon Musk parody account @ElonMuskAOC and @dotwebthree posted similar statements.

Each of the posts showed maps where Harris and Trump won Electoral College votes, as well as states where a photo ID was required, a non-photo ID was required and no ID was required.

Facts

These statements are false for several reasons.

Social media posts appear to equate voter ID to photo ID. How Newsweek previously reported, according to Ballotpedia, 35 states require identification to vote, while 15 other states and Washington, D.C. have “non-documentary” ID requirements, which require voters to prove their identity in other ways, including signing an affidavit or poll book or providing personal information.

The affidavit states they are voting knowing it is a criminal offense to falsely claim their right to vote. They may also be required to provide a signature or biographical information such as names, addresses, and full or partial dates of birth.

In some states that require undocumented records, election officials may also verify signatures, for example by comparing the signatures with signatures on voter registration forms.

All states can challenge eligibility. Of the 14 states without ID, 12 have legal requirements for election officials to undertake verification efforts.

Penalties for falsely claiming eligibility include fines, imprisonment, and deportation of undocumented migrants.

In any case, this statement is incorrect because while Harris was projected to win in 15 states that do not typically require voter ID, the Associated Press projected her to win in New Hampshire and Rhode Island, both of which require ID with a photo for voting. It has also been projected into Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware and Virginia, which require non-photo ID.

Solution

LIE.

All states require some form of identification to vote. Thirty-five require some form of identification, and the remaining 15 have “non-documentary” requirements, such as signing an affidavit. Harris was projected to win two states that require photo ID and four that do not require photo ID.

FACT CHECK FROM NEWSWEEK’S FACT CHECKING TEAM