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Comment by tptacek

8 days ago

Voter ID helps Democrats in 2025, it doesn't hurt them.

How do you figure?

  • The theory here is democrats on average are more educated, wealthier, and in more of a position to prove they are citizens. Don’t have an opinion on that. But it’s something I know many democrats around me have said.

  • Because of educational polarization and race depolarization, Democrats now overperform Republicans in low-turnout elections. It's been true in every cycle starting in 2018 (and in the special elections before that).

  • The demographics of the parties have shifted quite a bit with Trump's second term. The Republicans lost much of their educated elite but made up for it by gaining a lot of the poor folks that have hitherto been the Democratic backbone and who are most hurt by voter ID.

    Trump lost the $30k–$50k democraphic by 9 points in 2016, but turned around and won it by 6 points in 2024—a 15-point swing! Meanwhile he won the $100k–$200k and $200k+ demographics by ~2 percentage points in 2016, but lost it by 5+ points in 2024 even while winning the popular vote.

    It's possible that this was a one-off and not a major permanent realignment, but it's definitely not as clear cut as it used to be.