A state judge Wednesday rewrote a description that details the effect of a voter photo identification initiative backed by conservative activist Sharron Angle. After two separate hearings on challenges to the initiative’s wording, Carson City District Court Judge James Russell came up with his own language describing what the proposed constitutional amendment would do. Russell added words clarifying acceptable forms of identity to include state of Nevada or federal government documents, as opposed to “certain government-issued documents” included in the original petition that critics said was vague. The judge also tweaked language pertaining to “free” cards that would be issued to people without photo identification and added that the provision carries “a financial cost to the state.” All sides seemed pleased with the outcome. “We don’t think they are really significant changes,” Angle said afterward. Her group will refile the Voter ID Initiative adopting the judge’s language.
Angle added she’s confident supporters will be able to gather the roughly 101,000 signatures needed by June 17 to qualify for the November ballot.
Critics of a proposal included two voters represented by lawyers tied to the Democratic Party and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada. They argued the measure failed to inform voters of possible costs and didn’t specify the types of identification that would be necessary.
Wednesday’s challenges focused on the initiative’s “description of effect” — a required synopsis limited to 200 words that explains what a proposal would do. Other possible challenges on the constitutionality of requiring photo ID to vote would come later.
Marc Elias, a Washington, D.C., attorney, told Russell that the original description of the proposed constitutional amendment was “extremely misleading” and falls short of legal mandates.
Full Article: Judge rewrites description of Nevada voter measure | Las Vegas Review-Journal.