New Voting Laws May Block 10M Hispanics From Polls

Voter ID laws are already quite controversial, and a new study will probably make them even more so: It finds that more than 10 million Hispanic US citizens could be prevented from voting thanks to new laws in 23 states. The number is so high that it could swing election results in key battleground states, Reuters reports. According to the report from left-leaning group Advancement Project:

• In 16 states, Latinos were unfairly targeted in purges of those suspected of not being citizens.
• In nine states, new citizens who have not yet gotten the required photo ID would have to put out time and money to do so.
• One state requires proof of citizenship in order to register to vote, which could also be expensive and difficult, particularly for naturalized citizens. Two other states have similar legislation pending.

President Obama is leading Mitt Romney among Hispanic voters by quite a large margin, polls show—at least 70% to 30%—an edge that is seen as crucial to an Obama victory in November. Of particular importance is Hispanic turnout in battleground states like Florida, where Hispanic voters make up 27% of all eligible voters. (More voting laws stories.)