Harris won some states that require voter ID, contrary to online claims | Fact check

The claim: Harris won every state that doesn’t require voter ID, no states that require it

A Nov. 7 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes an image of an electoral map and a claim of a pattern in the presidential election results.

“Kamala won EVERY SINGLE state that doesn’t require voter ID,” reads on-screen text in the image, which is a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter. “She didn’t win a SINGLE state that requires it. It’s insane that this is just being ignored.”

The post was liked more than 800 times in a day. Other versions of the claim circulated widely on Instagram, Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The claim is wrong on both counts. Vice President Kamala Harris won numerous states with voter ID requirements. President-elect Donald Trump also won states that do not require most voters to provide identification.

Colorado, Rhode Island among states with strict voter ID laws

Trump swept swing states to defeat Harris in the Nov. 5 election, securing a second presidency four years after he was voted out of office.

But the contrast between the states won by Trump and Harris, as presented in the social media posts, is inaccurate. Harris did not win every state without voter ID requirements, and she did win states with such measures in place.

She won Rhode Island and Colorado, for example, which both require voters to present identification when voting in person. Rhode Island requires that ID include a photo, but Colorado does not.

The vice president also won New Hampshire, which requires photo ID but allows individuals without one to either have their identity confirmed by a designated official or fill out an affidavit and have their photo taken in order to vote, according to the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office.

Harris also won both Delaware and Virginia, which require voters to present a valid form of ID but allow individuals without identification to fill out or sign a form to vote, according to the states' respective election offices.

Fact check: Colorado election law isn't in effect, wouldn't give 'all our votes' to Trump

Additionally, Harris didn’t win every state without widespread voter ID requirements.

Pennsylvania, for example, only requires people to provide an ID if they’re a first-time voter or are voting at a new polling place, according to the commonwealth’s website. Trump was declared the winner of its critical 19 electoral votes early Nov. 6.

Individuals don’t have to provide any form of identification when they vote in Nevada if the state’s verification process is able to match the information on their voter registration form with other records, according to the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office. The Associated Press called the state for Trump on Nov. 9.

Nevada on Election Day approved a ballot question in support of amending the state constitution to require voters to provide photo ID, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The measure cannot be implemented unless it is approved in the 2026 election.

USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims related to Harris’ campaign, including false assertions that a video shows a Haitian man describing a plot to vote for Harris multiple times, that Turnout the Vote paid people $200 to vote for Harris and that a dot by Harris’ name on a Kentucky ballot invalidated votes for any other candidate.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The Australian Associated Press also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, accessed Nov. 8, First Time Voters

• Nevada Secretary of State, accessed Nov. 8, Voter Registration Verification Process

• State of Delaware Department of Elections, accessed Nov. 8, Voting FAQs

• State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, accessed Nov. 8, Voter ID

• The New York Times, Nov. 8, Presidential Election Results: Trump Wins

• Virginia Department of Elections, accessed Nov. 8, Do I need an ID to vote?

• New Hampshire Secretary of State, May 2022, State of New Hampshire – Voter ID Law

• Colorado Secretary of State, Sept. 12, 2018, Acceptable Forms of Identification

• Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nov. 5, Nevada passes voter ID measure

• Ballotpedia, accessed Nov. 11, 2024, Voter identification laws by state

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This story was updated to add a video.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris won several states that require ID to vote | Fact check