Coincidence has been exploited by Trump and allies; suggest that not requiring the document could facilitate fraud
Republican candidate Donald Trump won delegates in 31 of the 50 US states. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won 19 states, in addition to winning in Washington, D.C.
Critics of the electoral system in the United States have noticed a peculiarity in the places where Kamala was successful: there were 13 victories in the 15 states where the identity of voters wishing to vote is documented.
This coincidence has been exploited by Trump and allies, such as , to reinforce the campaign for reform of the voting system in the United States. What Republicans suggest is that not requiring voter ID to facilitate fraud.
Here are the 13 States in which the Democrat won and which do not require documents: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Donald Trump (Republican) won in the 2 remaining states: Nevada and Pennsylvania.
The Democrat also won a majority in 6 of the 35 states that establish voter identification as a condition for voting: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Virginia.
It turns out that in the United States it is very difficult to reform the electoral system. Unlike Brazil, there each of the 50 states has local laws on how voting should be done. Millions of voters vote by sending their ballots by post.
It would be very difficult to pass a national law in the North American Congress unifying the voting system. Even if deputies and senators approved it, there would be challenges. The country’s Supreme Court could overturn the rule based on the constitutional rule that gives states independence to decide on the issue.
Even among states that do not require documents to vote, there are differences:
- request document from voters who vote for the first time, registered by post and provided incomplete data – California, New Mexico, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Vermont, Maine and New Jersey. It is also applied in Washington DC;
- ask for documents from voters voting for the first time even if they presented valid identification at registration – Pennsylvania and Massachusetts;
Here are some of the rules imposed by other States:
- Minnesota – requires proof of residence for anyone who has not voted in the last 4 years;
- Nevada – the voter their name on the electoral board register at their polling place. The signature is compared to that on the voter’s original application to vote or other form of identification;
- Oregon – aTo register, voters must provide their driver’s license number or state identification card number;
- Washington – It is a state where the majority prefers to vote by post. However, those who decide to go to the voting center must sign a voting declaration or present an identification document.
CRITICISM FROM TRUMP ALLIES
The owner of X (former Twitter), Elon Musk, suggested that Kamala had won only in states that do not require the presentation of an identification document when voting.
In a social media post on Sunday (November 10, 2024), the billionaire shared an image of a map that compares where Kamala and Trump won and the states that do or do not require an identity document.
“It must be a coincidence”these Musk.
Other posts on X also claimed that Kamala only won in states where voter ID is not mandatory.
