Which states have strict voter ID laws in the 2024 election?

1. What "strict" means — and why counts diverge

Advocates and analysts separate ID laws along two axes: whether a photo ID is required and whether a meaningful workaround exists for voters who lack that ID; “strict” typically means a state requires specified government photo ID and offers little or no on‑the‑spot alternative such as signing an affidavit or having ballots counted provisionally without further action ^{[3] [6] [7]}. Different groups use different cutoffs: Forbes/Statista and some reporting count states that tightened to “strict photo ID” as raising the total to 10 states, while CIRCLE (Tufts) reported 15 states with a strict photo‑ID requirement as of mid‑2024 — illustrating that methodology (which laws and effective dates are included) changes the headline number ^{[1] [2] [5]}.

2. Recent legislative changes that shifted the map

Multiple outlets documented an uptick in stricter ID rules since 2020. Forbes and Statista say four states adopted strict photo‑ID laws since the last presidential election, bringing the total in some tallies to 10; other trackers counted additional states that made laws stricter, with one change blocked in court ^{[1] [2]}. The Brennan Center’s state‑by‑state guide highlights that since 2020 at least 29 states enacted various restrictive voting changes, including many that tightened ID requirements — though whether those changes constitute “strict” ID varies by the tracker ^[4].

3. Which states are usually named as “strict”

Available sources list specific examples repeatedly: longstanding or earlier strict states such as Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee are named alongside more recent additions like Nebraska, Arkansas, North Carolina and Ohio; reporting also highlighted that several battlegrounds (Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin in one article) had strict ID rules that could affect close races ^{[1] [8]}. However, a single, universally agreed‑upon 2024 state list is not provided in the set of sources — counts and named states vary by publication and by the NCSL/Brennan Center categorizations ^{[3] [1] [8]}.

4. Scale of the population affected

Forbes/Statista estimate that the number of voting‑age adults living under strict photo‑ID requirements rose from fewer than 30 million to more than 50 million, and that ~29 million people lived in states where laws had been tightened since 2020 ^{[1] [2]}. Citing survey and research groups, the University of Maryland and allied researchers warn that tens of millions of Americans lack a current government photo ID or have IDs with outdated names/addresses — raising the stakes where strict rules apply ^[9].

5. Disagreement among researchers about turnout effects

Evidence about whether strict ID laws reduce turnout is contested in the published material: some studies and advocates (Brennan Center, UMD research, League of Women Voters) say strict ID rules disproportionately burden seniors, people of color, low‑income voters and students and could depress turnout ^{[6] [9] [10]}. Other analyses, cited in Ballotpedia and elsewhere, point to studies finding minimal or mixed turnout impacts, and commentators argue that voter mobilization efforts can offset effects ^{[11] [1] [7]}. The available sources therefore present competing conclusions and emphasize methodology matters.

6. Legal and practical complications to watch

Trackers note that not all newly passed laws were enforceable immediately — some faced court challenges or contained delayed effective dates — so the on‑the‑ground rules in November 2024 depended on litigation and implementation timing ^{[4] [2]}. News outlets also reported operational confusion at polls and spikes in voter help‑line requests in 2024, reflecting the practical friction stricter ID regimes can introduce even where the law technically allows alternatives ^[12].

Conclusion — what a reader should take away

There is consensus that more states tightened ID rules ahead of 2024 and that a substantially larger number of Americans live under stricter photo‑ID regimes than in 2020, but exact state lists and counts differ by source because of definitional choices, effective dates, and court actions ^{[1] [2] [4]}. If you want a definitive, state‑by‑state roster for a particular election date, consult the NCSL and Brennan Center trackers for their categorizations and note the caveat that other reputable trackers (Forbes/Statista, CIRCLE/Tufts, UMD) use slightly different definitions that change the headline totals ^{[3] [4] [5]}.