The Senate Appropriations Committee gave a bill that would require a state-issued identification to vote a do pass recommendation on Tuesday. Committee members spent 30 minutes discussing House Bill 1332 before voting 7-6 in favor of the bill. The bill now heads back to the Senate Government and Veterans Affairs Committee for further review. Primary bill sponsor Rep. Randy Boehning, R-Fargo, said the bill deals with voter affidavits and details a requirement for having a state-issued identification to vote. Boehning pointed out a change made by the Government and Veterans Affairs Committee.
In the bill’s updated fiscal note, the North Dakota Department of Transportation wouldn’t be able to charge the $8 fee for a non-driver photo identification unless the person making the request already has a driver’s license. This would lead to an estimated revenue loss of more than $204,000 per biennium.
The cost to issue additional non-photo identifications is estimated to cost $12,296 per biennium.
Boehning also explained how students would still be able to vote while in school, a concern raised by lawmakers as well as opponents of the bill. Students would be able to go to the North Dakota University System’s Campus Connection website and print out a form letter to use with their identification in order to vote. He said work is still being done to come up with a way to address elderly voters without a driver’s license or identification.
Full Article: Split committee backs voter ID bill.