A bill that would enact voter identification requirements continues to inch forward in the Iowa Legislature as lawmakers make a final push to close out the session. The Iowa House debated House File 516 into the night Monday. The legislation would make significant changes to the state’s election laws that Republicans say are needed to ensure the integrity of the process and prevent fraud. But Democrats contend the measure is about “voter suppression,” and they offered an amendment that would have vastly expanded the types of accepted identification to include things like student IDs, tribal IDs, Medicare cards and hunting licenses. The amendment was voted down by the House’s Republican majority.
“If we were being honest about it being a voter ID bill, every one of these on this list would be an acceptable form of ID,” said Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville.
The bill’s floor manager, Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, said he thinks the forms of identification outlined in the bill are adequate.
Those include driver’s licenses, non-operator’s licenses, passports, military ID cards or a new, free voter verification card. Those cards would include a signature and a four-digit personal identification number, and they would be issued to every voter who does not already have a state-issued driver’s license or non-operators license.
Full Article: Political back-and-forth continues on voter ID bill at Iowa Capitol.