The commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, one of the defendants in a lawsuit challenging the state’s photo voter ID law, testified Friday that he was not aware of any case of voter impersonation in Virginia over the past 20 years. Edgardo Cortés also said on cross-examination Friday, the fifth day of the trial before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson in Richmond, that he believes the only form of voter fraud requiring photo voter identification might prevent would be someone trying to impersonate someone else.
The law took effect in 2014, and Cortés acknowledged there was some confusion and mistakes made by local election officials that year and in 2015. He expects to see more problems this year because it is a presidential election and turnout in the state could be 70 to 80 percent, compared with the 20 percent who might vote in an off-year.
Last June, the Democratic Party of Virginia and two voters who are Democrats filed suit against the State Board of Elections and the Department of Elections, seeking to strike down the law that they allege was enacted by a Republican-controlled state legislature with the intent of curbing the minority vote, which tends to go to Democratic candidates.
The law’s proponents said the goal, among other things, was to prevent election fraud and that it is race-neutral. The plaintiffs completed their case Friday, and the defense began its case.
The law requires a voter to have a Virginia driver’s license; a U.S. passport or any other photo ID issued by the U.S., Virginia or one of its political subdivisions; a student ID issued by any institute of higher learning in Virginia; an employee identification card; or another form of photo ID.
Full Article: State official says he’s unaware of any voter impersonation in past 20 years – Richmond Times-Dispatch: News.