The Virginia State Board of Elections this morning approved the final phases of the implementation plan for the new voter ID law that will take effect July 1. In the coming months, election officials will work with vendors to create a photo ID card that will meet requirements under the new legislation and that will be provided to voters for free. They will also train staff at local registrars’ offices of the state’s 133 localities and launch a statewide campaign to inform voters of the changes in law. “I think we’ve received enough input from stakeholders and the board has reviewed the plan several times,” said Don Palmer, secretary of the elections board. … Under the new law, documents that do not contain a photograph of the voter are no longer acceptable forms of identification when a person is voting in person. However, the new law allows voters without photo ID to cast a provisional ballot on Election Day. The voter then has four days to present identification to their local electoral board for their vote to be counted.
Several civic groups expressed concern with the implementation plan. Hope Amezquita with the ACLU of Virginia told the board today that the plan does not adequately address how the free ID will be made available to less mobile voters.
Carol Noggle, legislative coordinator with the League of Women Voters of Virgina, also said that “it is not exactly reflected in the plan what the specifics are of how to obtain the ID.”
Both groups asked to be invited to future meetings of any work groups tasked with the implementation of the plan.
Full Article: Elections board approves voter ID plan – Richmond Times-Dispatch: General Assembly.