Voter Suppression, By the Numbers

Published: 12 Jul, 2012

2 min read

This election, an estimated five million eligible voters will be disenfranchised from the political process due to new voter identification laws. These de-facto voter suppression laws not only make it harder to register to vote, but also place restrictions on voting, creating an obstacle to eligible voters who lack government issued identification.

The Brennan Center for Justice released a study in which they outlined the changes in voting laws we face in the 2012 election and the adverse affect on voter participation.

Here's how the Brennan Center for Justice arrived at the number 5 million:

5: The number of states where new photo ID laws will be in effect (Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin)

3: The number of states where new proof of citizenship laws will be in effect (Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee)

240,000: The number of potential voters in Alabama that do not have documentary proof of citizenship

2: The number of states that passed laws restricting voter registration drives, causing all or most of those drives to stop (Florida and Texas)

176,000: The number of people who registered to vote via drives

5.13: The percent of voters in Texas that registered via drives

60,000: The number of Maine citizens who registered and voted on Election Day in 2008. Since Maine abolished Election Day registration, the number of potential voters adversely affected in 2012

3: The number of states where the early voting period was cut by half or more (Florida, Georgia, and Ohio)

8,000,000: The number of Americans who voted early in the above states

2: The number of states that made it substantially more difficult or impossible for people with past felony convictions to get their voting rights restored (Florida and Iowa)

1,000,000: The number of people in Florida who could have benefited from the prior practice

5: The number of battleground states that have already cut back on voting rights (and may pass additional restrictive legislation)

171: The number of electoral votes belonging to the state that have already cut back on voting rights

270: The number of electoral votes needed to win the presidency

63: The percent of the total number of electoral votes affected by restrictive voter laws

California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?

November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....

01 Oct, 2025

9 min read

Virtual Discussion: The Fight for Equal Independent Voting Rights Makes it to SCOTUS

Every major voting rights movement in U.S. history – whether successful or not – has intertwined with landmark litigation. This was the case for women’s suffrage. It was the case for civil rights. And it is the case in the ongoing effort to protect the right of all voters to have equal participation in taxpayer-funded elections – something millions of independent voters are denied across the U.S....

29 Sep, 2025

2 min read

SCOTUS Considers Challenge to Closed Primaries -- Here's Why It Is Such a Big Deal

In a dramatic step forward for litigation challenging closed primaries, the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated they are going to conference to discuss whether to grant a writ of certiorari to Polelle v. Florida Secretary of State; a case challenging Florida's closed primaries that Open Primaries has supported since its inception....

26 Sep, 2025

2 min read

Voter Suppression, By the Numbers

You Might Also Like