A voter identification bill going through the state Legislature would limit the types of government-issued photo identification voters could present at the polls. House Bill 2781 is being reviewed by a House Judiciary subcommittee. If passed, voters would be required to show a valid driver’s license, a West Virginia identification card, a U.S. passport or passport card, an employee photo identification card issued by a government agency, or a military photo ID.
The bill would eliminate sections of an existing voter ID law passed last year, scheduled to take effect in 2018. The law allows voters to also use high school or college identification cards, birth certificates, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families identification cards, utility bills, bank cards and other forms of ID.
Republicans believe the bill would combat in-person voter fraud.
A comprehensive study on voter fraud completed by Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola University, found 31 cases of documented, in-person voter fraud completed between 2000 and 2014. More than a billion ballots were cast during that time. None of the cases mentioned in Levitt’s study occurred in West Virginia.
Full Article: Charleston Gazette-Mail | Stricter voter ID bill proposed despite lack of in-person fraud.