Photo identification when you go to vote sailed through the Arkansas senate, but it was a much different story on Wednesday as a House of Representatives panel slammed the brakes on the idea. The issue that’s holding it up: money. Legislators want to know how much photo voter i-d will cost the state, and until they get that amount, they won’t vote on the idea. Bill sponsor Bryan King has repeatedly told fellow legislators it would cost around $300,000 to place photo ID machines in 87 county clerks’ offices around the state, but, others believe it will cost much more.
So before anything happens on the House side, King will have to come back with an independent cost impact.
Still, the voter ID issue remains hotly contested.
Supporters say it ensures election integrity, while detractors argue it could suppress voter turnout and addresses a non-existent problem of voter impersonation in Arkansas.
Full Article: Questions over Money Hold Up Voter ID Bill.