Nearly one in 10 eligible voters lack easy access to documents to prove their citizenship, according to a new survey (PDF at the University of Maryland, six pages), underscoring how Republican efforts to purportedly prevent non-citizens from voting could disenfranchise millions.

If asked to quickly locate a passport, birth certificate or naturalization papers to produce proof of citizenship tomorrow, more than 21 million Americans - about 9% of eligible voters - would not be able to, according to the survey, conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice, VoteRiders, Public Wise, and the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) at the University of Maryland. Nearly 4 million American citizens - 2% in total - lack access to any form of proof in citizenship.

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Yahoo!, June 12, 2024, Millions of US voters lack access to documents to prove citizenship

TL;DR on the survey: 21MM Americans of voting age do not have a current driver’s license. Another 28.6MM do not have a license which shows both their current name and current address.

That broke down to 23% of Democrats, 16% of Republicans, and 31% of independents/third parties.

Young Americans are least likely to have a current driver’s license or one with both their current name and current address. 41% 18-24, and 38% 25-29.

The same numbers apply to education level: below high school 41% do not have a license with their current name and address, and another 35% have no license at all. As education level goes up, those numbers go down. The same apply to income levels. The same apply to minority groups.

20% of people identifying as having a disability do not have a license, and 9% more do not have a license with both their current name and current address.

Since photo ID is required in states with voter ID laws, and a driver’s license is the most common form, those demographics are hurt worst by such laws.