Do Voter ID Laws Suppress Minority Turnout? A Soho Forum Debate

Do voter identification laws ensure secure and trustworthy elections, or are they a way for political parties to manipulate the democratic process in their favor? 

At a September 8th debate in New York City hosted by the Soho Forum, Eliza Sweren-Becker from NYU's Brennan Center for Justice, argued that state legislators are using arbitrary rules to suppress the voting rights of vulnerable citizens.

The Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky countered that these rules are necessary to guarantee that every vote cast is valid, noting that in states where voter ID laws already exist, registration rates have risen.

This was an Oxford-style debate, in which the audience voted before and after the event to see which side swayed more people. It was moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein.

Narrated by Nick Gillespie. Edited by John Osterhoudt. Live production by The Sheen Center.

Photo: Erica Price/Sipa USA/Newscom; Stephen Zenner/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Event Photos by Brett Raney; Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/Newscom; Jay Janner/TNS/Newscom