“Voter ID” refers to the fact that the voter must have an ID card. You can use any ID and some ID-like documents as well (such as a firearms license). In states where these laws are in place, voters who do not possess an ID card or passport book when they go to the polling station will not be allowed to vote. The part I highlight is that there are no acceptable ID cards for voting that can be easily obtained free of charge. Some states that have voter ID laws will allow people to obtain a “voter identity certificate” that can be used to vote, however, obtaining one usually requires a trip to the motor vehicle agency.

This is a voter suppression tactic. The goal is to make it more difficult for people whose political leanings you want to discriminate against to vote. In all cases in the US, these tactics are used against left-leaning voters or those who live in left-leaning areas. A common voter suppression scheme usually has these properties:

1. You must register to vote. This involves filling out a form and submitting it to the local elections authority. In some states, you cannot submit the form electronically and must send it by post to the elections office.
2. People who register to vote but don’t vote will have their registrations cancelled and must register again. Voters who vote for right-leaning parties generally vote every single election so this will not affect them as much.
3. Polling stations are open for one day during normal working hours (usually 09:00 to 18:00). The goal is to make it difficult for people who have to work during these hours to vote. Election day is always on a Tuesday and is not a public holiday.
4. Postal voting is restricted. You must apply to receive a postal ballot and provide an excuse as to why you cannot vote in person. The elections office can reject your application if they do not like your excuse. Left-leaning voters generally prefer postal voting while right-leaning voters prefer to vote in person, thus the goal is to make postal voting harder.
5. The number of polling stations are reduced in large cities because large cities generally vote for left-leaning politicians and parties.
6. All election material is published in English only. Citizens who do not speak English and only speak another language typically are left-leaning and thus the goal is to make it more difficult for them to vote.
7. You must bring an acceptable identity document to vote
   1. State-issued ID cards can be obtained from the motor vehicle agency. The motor vehicle agency offices are deliberately located far away from minority neighbourhoods and are only open during normal working hours. The queues are also very long, meaning it is an all-day affair to obtain an ID card. The purpose is to discriminate against the poor, who are less likely to be able to take a day off to go obtain one. There is also a fee to obtain an ID card.
   2. Passports and passport cards can be obtained by post but cost a lot to obtain if you haven’t had one before (165 USD for passport book or 65 USD for passport card). Poor people tend to lean left and generally don’t have a passport because they can’t afford international travel.
   3. Military ID cards are acceptable. This voter group happens to lean right.
   4. The elderly are allowed to use expired documents. This voter group happens to lean right.
   5. Student ID cards issued by universities are not acceptable. This voter group happens to lean left.
   6. Firearms licenses are acceptable. This voter group happens to lean right.
8. Electoral boundaries are drawn by the legislature to favour one political party.
9. The election authority can invalidate ballots for trivial reasons (e.g. the square next to the candidate’s name is not completely filled in, the voter use the wrong colour ink or used pencil, the voter forgot to write the date next to their signature on a postal ballot, a ballot punched by a machine did not fully punch through the paper, etc.)
10. The ballot design is deliberately confusing.
11. The legislature reserves the right to overturn election results if they believe fraud has occurred. This action cannot be challenged in the courts.