X Users Share Misleading Posts Saying Harris Only Won in States Not Requiring Voter ID
Following former U.S. President Donald Trump's reelection victory in November 2024, online users shared and discussed a rumor claiming Vice President Kamala Harris won states not requiring identification in order to vote.
For example, one user posted ( archived ) on Nov. 6, "Kamala only won in states where voter ID is not required. Do you understand anon?" As of this writing, the post received around 1.5 million views.
In another post ( archived ) making a similar claim, a different user on X wrote, "Kamala won EVERY SINGLE state that doesn't require voter ID.... She didn't win a SINGLE state that requires it. It's insane that this is just being ignored." At least one other user also ) that same post as a screenshot.
As for the former post, according to election projection data reported by The Associated Press (AP) as of Nov. 8, it was false to say that AP and others projected Harris as having won in states not requiring ID to vote.
A Closer Look at the Numbers
Ballotpedia — the website dubbing itself as "the encyclopedia of American politics" — published that, out of all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, 15 states and the District of Columbia generally did not require ID to vote. At the same time, some of those states did require some first-time voters to present identification. Still, Ballotpedia designated those states and the District of Columbia as "no ID required," seeing as they did not require ID of most voters.
Of those 15 states and the District of Columbia, as of Nov. 8, AP projected Harris to win California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Further, the news organization projected Trump won Pennsylvania — a battleground state only requiring first-time voters to present a photo or non-photo ID.
As for the remaining 35 states, Ballotpedia noted 25 required photo ID to vote while 10 others required non-photo ID. In states generally requiring photo ID to vote, AP projected Harris won New Hampshire and Rhode Island. In states generally requiring non-photo ID, AP projected Harris won Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware and Virginia.
In other words, AP projected Harris won most of the states generally not requiring ID to vote but also projected her as victorious in some other states that required voters to present ID. The statements made in the X posts were misleading and not true.
In our research, we noted some states established varying policies regarding their photo or non-photo ID requirements. For example, Ballotpedia published, "In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID." Readers can learn more details for each state and the District of Columbia on the Ballotpedia website
Sources:
"Election Live Updates: Harris to Deliver Concession Speech." , Nov. 2024, .
"First Time Voters | Voting & Election Information." , .
