Crawford v. Marion County Election Board
| Crawford v. Marion County Election Board | |
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| Argued January 9, 2008 Decided April 28, 2008 |
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| Full case name | William Crawford v. Marion County Election Board |
| Docket nos. | 07-21 |
| Citations | 553 U.S. 181 (more)
553 U.S. 181, 128 S. Ct. 1610, 170 L. Ed. 2d 574, 2008 WL 1848103, 2008 U.S. LEXIS 3846
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| Prior history | On Writs of Certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. |
| Holding | |
| A statute requiring voters to show a picture ID is constitutional. | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Plurality | Stevens, joined by Roberts, Kennedy |
| Concurrence | Scalia, joined by Thomas, Alito |
| Dissent | Souter, joined by Ginsburg |
| Dissent | Breyer |
Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, 553 U.S. 181 (2008), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that an Indiana law requiring voters to provide photographic identification did not violate the United States Constitution.
A 2005 Indiana law required all voters casting a ballot in person to present a United States or Indiana photo ID. Under the Indiana law, voters who do not have a photo ID may cast a provisional ballot. To have their votes counted, they must visit a designated government office within 10 days and bring a photo ID or sign a statement saying they cannot afford one.
At trial, the plaintiffs were unable to produce any witnesses who claimed they were not able to meet the law's requirements. The defendants were likewise unable to present any evidence that the corruption purportedly motivating the law existed.
In April 2006, U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker granted summary judgment in favor of Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita. In January 2007, that judgment was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, where Judge Richard Posner was joined by Judge Diane S. Sykes, and Judge Terence T. Evans dissented. The circuit court was deeply divided, with the dissent characterizing the law as a thinly-veiled attempt to disenfranchise low-income Democratic Party voters.
The lead plaintiff was William Crawford, who was a Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives from Indianapolis from 1972-2012. The defendant was the election board of Marion County, Indiana. Indianapolis, the state capital, is in Marion County.
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