Lawmakers on Monday sent to Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s desk a bill to require voters to show photo identification at the polls. The House concurred in Senate amendments to House Bill 1047 by Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, which House members previously approved in different form. The concurrence was the final hurdle the bill had to clear to go to the governor. A spokesman for Hutchinson said Monday the governor generally supports a photo ID requirement for voters but would need to take a closer look at HB 1047 before deciding whether to sign it.
Under the bill, a voter who does not show photo ID at his or her polling place could cast a provisional ballot. The voter would be given the option of signing a sworn statement that the voter is who he or she claims to be, and the county clerk would compare the signature to the signature on the voter registration card issued to that person to see if they match and the ballot should be counted.
Alternatively, a voter casting a provisional ballot could choose to show photo ID to the county clerk or county election board before noon on the Monday after the election to have the ballot counted.
The bill also would require that a copy of a voter’s photo ID be submitted with an absentee ballot. It would allow an absentee voter to sign a statement that could be used to verify the person’s identity if no photo ID is submitted.
Full Article: Lawmakers send voter ID bill to Arkansas governor.