Fact check: Did Kamala Harris only win in states not requiring voter ID?

WASHINGTON, DC: Following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, allegations of voter fraud and impropriety have remained relatively subdued, despite earlier reports suggesting that the Republican campaign was ready to contest the results.

While there were baseless allegations of cheating in battleground states on election night, the Democrats did not contest the outcome, with Vice President Kamala Harris giving her concession speech on Wednesday, November 6.

However, since then, some claims of election impropriety have gained traction on social media platforms, with some alleging that Harris only won in states that didn't require voter IDs to cast ballots.

The claim regarding states won by Kamala Harris 

Numerous posts on X (formerly Twitter) have claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris only secured victories in states lacking voter ID requirements.

User @michelleweekley's post from Tuesday, November 6, which reads, "Kamala only won in states where voter ID is not required. Do you understand anon?" has been viewed 2.2 million times and received over 45,000 likes. 

Meanwhile, user @fulovitboss' post, which states, "Kamala won all the states that don't require voter ID. #CatchingOnYet 🤔 #DodgyDems," has garnered 16.6 million views and over 196,000 likes. 

The posts displayed maps indicating the states where Harris and Trump secured Electoral College votes, alongside the states categorized by their voter ID requirements: photo ID, non-photo ID, and no ID necessary.

Reality behind claims that Kamala Harris only won in states without voter ID requirement

Such claims are false for several reasons. One is that the theory seems to conflate voter ID with photo ID.

According to Ballotpedia, 35 states mandate identification for voting, whereas the remaining 15 states and Washington, DC, utilize "nondocumentary" ID requirements, allowing voters to confirm their identity through alternative means such as signing an affidavit, a polling book, or providing personal details, as reported by Newsweek. 

The affidavit declares that the individual is voting with the awareness that making a false claim of eligibility constitutes a criminal offense. Additionally, they may need to supply a signature and biographical details, including names, addresses, and full or partial dates of birth.

In some states, election officials may verify nondocumentary requirements by comparing the signatures with those on voter registration forms.

All states have the authority to challenge voter eligibility. Among the 14 states with nondocumentary identification, 12 mandate that election officials undertake verification efforts.

Penalties for falsely claiming eligibility include fines, imprisonment, and deportation for undocumented immigrants.

The assertion is incorrect as, although Harris was expected to win in 15 states where voter identification is not typically mandated, she was also projected to win in New Hampshire and Rhode Island, which do require photo ID for voting.

Moreover, she was projected by the Associated Press to win in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, and Virginia, which require non-photo ID.