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Voter Suppression Laws Could Affect 1 Million Young Minority Voters, Study Says

One million young minority voters could be affected by new voter suppression laws enacted in 17 states, according to a study released by the Black Youth Project.

The study [PDF], co-authored by Cathy Cohen and Jon Rogowski from the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis respectively, found that an estimated 700,000 minority voters under the age of 30 will be disenfranchised in the November 2012 election due to the implementation of voter ID laws in multiple states. According to Cohen and Rogowski, 700,000 is a conservative estimate – the number of voters affected will likely be closer to one million.

Cohen and Rogowski believe that voter ID laws are likely to decrease voter turnout of young minority voters, who were a key voting bloc in the 2008 election, according to the Huffington Post. In addition, the authors reported that numerous studies have found that minority voters do not carry photo identification as much as their white counterparts, thus preventing those who would go to the polls from being able to present acceptable ID.

Voter suppression measures, such as laws requiring presenting specific types of photo id at the polls, have been passed in key swing states including Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Media Resources: Huffington Post 9/12/12; Black Youth Project 9/10/12; Feminist Newswire 9/10/12; 8/31/12; 8/15/12

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