• Listen to this segment

GUEST: Justin Levitts, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law

Lawyers from the Brennan Center for Justice joined various voting rights organizations in filing a legal brief with the Supreme Court against Indiana’s voter identification law. Citing evidence from a new Washington Institute study, opponents say that it effectively disenfranchises thousands of registered voters and should be done away with. The study indicates that voters in Indiana most likely to be effected by the law were poor, black, and elderly – and the study shows there is a significant gap between black and white Indiana voters with access to a valid form of photo ID.Key findings also found politics to be a major factor. Defenders of the Voter ID law claim that its purpose is to combat fraud; however its requirements are much more likely to disenfranchise Democrats than Republicans. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments and issue a decision before the 2008 Presidential elections.

For more information, visit www.brennancenter.org/