Kentucky: Voter identification becomes issue in debate by secretary of state candidates | The Courier-Journal

People would be required to show a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship before they could register to vote in Kentucky under a proposal by Hilda Legg, a Republican candidate for secretary of state. Legg, former head of the federal Appalachian Regional Commission, made the proposal during a televised debate Monday night with GOP opponent Bill Johnson, a western Kentucky businessman.

Johnson said he opposes the proposal, instead suggesting that only voters who have photo IDs be permitted to cast ballots. The two Republicans and two Democrats participated in back-to-back debates on Kentucky Educational Television.

Colorado: Colorado Senate Democrats kill voter ID proposal | KWGN

Senate Democrats have killed two more bills from the GOP-controlled House, both of which dealt with the issue of illegal immigration.

A controversial proposal to reduce alleged voter fraud, House 1252 would have allowed the Secretary of State’s office to cross-check the state’s voter rolls with immigration databases and to send letters demanding further proof of citizenship to any registered voters whose status appeared to be in doubt.

Tennessee: GOP majority revising state election laws – Voter ID bills among proposals to amend process | Knoxville News Sentinel

Mandating photo identification for voting is just one part of a reshaping of Tennessee election laws by the Legislature’s Republican majority that also includes resolution of a three-year dispute over installing new voting machines statewide.

In a compromise last week, Republicans backed off of bills to repeal outright the Voter Confidence Act of 2008, which mandated use of $37 million in federal funds to place machines providing a paper trail for ballots in all 95 Tennessee counties.

Tennessee: Tennessee House Passes Voter ID Bill Despite Constitutional Questions | Nashville Public Radio

The Tennessee House of Representatives approved a bill Thursday that would require voters to show a photo ID at the polls. The passage came despite a state Attorney General’s opinion that the measure would likely be ruled a “poll tax” by a court

The state attorney general’s opinion released this week that says the courts are likely to find the bill unconstitutional if it costs something in order to qualify to vote. Such “poll taxes” were used in the Reconstruction South to deny the vote to former slaves.

South Carolina: South Carolina Senate blocks House version of Voter ID bill | SCNOW

The South Carolina Senate voted to non-concur on what senate leaders called a “flawed” Voter ID bill passed by the House of Representatives.  Because of the flaws in the House language and new matter inserted in the supposedly clean bill, the vote to non-concur was overwhelming.

Without agreement from the house, the bill, which would require photo ID for voters in the state, is in limbo. The houses will have to reach some accommodation for the bill to move forward.

Minnesota: Minnesota Photo ID bill clears House committee, inches toward vote | Minnesota Public Radio News

A House committee approved a bill Thursday that would require people to show a photo ID before they can vote, and with Republicans in control in the Legislature, the bill has a stronger chance of passing than in years past.

Despite Republicans in the Minnesota House and Senate looking at significant spending cuts to erase the state’s $5 billion projected budget deficit, the voter ID bill appears to be one area where they’re willing to spend more money.

National: Newly empowered GOP pushes voter ID | stateline.org

Fresh off commanding electoral victories in November, Republican majorities in many state legislatures want to require voters to show photo identification at the polls, a move Democrats say is cynically designed to help the GOP during the next election cycle.

Voter identification laws have been a demarcation line between Democrats and Republicans for years. Democrats claim the measures disenfranchise poor, elderly and minority voters who tend to vote Democratic but may not have appropriate photo ID. Republicans say the laws are necessary to prevent fraud, particularly when important statewide contests — such as the 2008 election for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota — can be decided by just hundreds of votes.

Tennessee: Tennessee Attorney General’s Opinion Flags Voter ID Bill | Nashville Public Radio

A proposal to require Tennessee voters to present a photo ID at their polling place ran into a speed bump at the state capitol Wednesday. Tennessee’s attorney general issued an opinion saying that the Voter ID bill would likely be found unconstitutional.

Representative Craig Fitzhugh, the House Democratic Leader, was one of the lawmakers who requested the Attorney General’s opinion. “I mean it’s a violation of both the U.S. Constitution and the Tennessee Constitution.”

Massachusetts: Massachusetts town rebuffs groups on voter ID issue | telegram.com

After two organizations with tea party ties called for voters to voluntarily show identification at the polls during the special primary for the 6th Worcester District House race on Tuesday and the general election on May 10, officials said they will take steps to protect would-be voters.

The district is composed of Southbridge, Charlton, East Brookfield and parts of Spencer and Oxford. Empower Massachusetts and Show ID to Vote launched an “integrity of the vote” campaign last week and said they are working with activists to observe the polls. The election is to resolve a tie in the November election between the incumbent, state Rep. Geraldo Alicea, D-Charlton, and Peter J. Durant, a Republican selectman from Spencer.

Editorials: New Mexico: Partisanship Voting’s Biggest Threat | Albuquerque Journal

Of all the important election-related proposals that were considered in our latest New Mexico legislative session, one stands out. This is the issue of photo voter identification, which generated extreme partisan interest.

Photo voter ID was promoted in the election campaigning by our new Republican governor and also by our new Republican secretary of state, who said in legislative hearings that it was the issue most frequently raised by her supporters. She also claimed that in the Motor Vehicle Department database she had found 117 cases of noncitizens who were registered to vote. But she did not offer evidence showing whether those people had become naturalized and therefore eligible to vote, or whether the names of those in the MVD database just happened to be the same as those of other individuals in the overall voter registration database.

Ohio: Ohio SoS Husted opposes photo-ID mandate | Columbus Dispatch

Ohio’s elections chief said yesterday that “there is a better way” in reference to a controversial Ohio House bill that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted is proposing election reforms as an alternative to the GOP-backed House Bill 159, which would require that anyone voting at the polls bring a driver’s license, passport or other government-issued identification card that shows the person’s current address and contains a photo.

South Carolina: South Carolina House rejects early voting, pushes ID bill | thestate.com

House Republicans squashed a Senate plan Wednesday to let voters cast ballots early and sent back to the Senate a bill requiring voters to present a photo ID at the polls.

Under the bill approved by the Republican-controlled House, voters must bring a driver’s license, passport, military ID or other photo ID to the polls in order to cast a ballot. Under current law, voters only have to present a voter registration card that does not include a photo. About 178,000 voters in South Carolina don’t have driver’s licenses or DMV-issued photo IDs, according to the State Election Commission.

Texas: Texas Voter ID bill goes to Conference Committee | texasobserver.org

After passing both the House and Senate, the contentious Senate voter ID bill returned to the upper chamber with a variety of House amendments. Rather than accept the House’s tweaks to the measure, the Senate sent the bill to conference committee, where five members of each chamber will iron out the differences between the versions.

Despite the differences, either version would give Texas one of the toughest voter ID laws in the country. While there was little debate, the bill’s author, Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay,said afterwards that he wasn’t happy with some of the changes. “There were things on the bill that we would want to potentially take off,” Fraser said.

Tennessee: Tennessee House panel passes mandate for photo ID for voters » Knoxville News Sentinel

Democratic legislators argued Tuesday that if Republicans are going to mandate a photo identification for voting, the state should provide free identification cards to those who cannot afford them.

The argument did not work – at least for now -with the GOP majority on the House State and Local Government Committee, which proceeded to approve the “voter ID” bill, HB007, on a voice vote. The bill has already passed the Senate on a 21-11 party-line vote. Tuesday’s action effectively clears the measure for a House floor vote.

North Carolina: Photo requirement scrapped in North Carolina voter ID bill | ncnn.com

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North Carolina Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett)

Republican state lawmakers say they have removed the photo requirement from a bill that would make voters show ID in order to cast a ballot. The latest draft eliminates language that would require a photo ID. Instead, individuals would now be allowed to use a county-issued voter registration card or documents such as a utility bill or bank statement. Bill co-sponsor Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, said lawmakers have made great progress in working with all of the interested parties. “

We’ve tried to address those concerns to make sure that we can increase the amount of progress voters have in the elections process while at the same time making sure that everyone entitled to vote gets to vote.”

Colorado: Voting bill targeting alleged illegal immigrant votes faces outcry in Colorado | American Independent

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler

A bill designed by Secretary of State Scott Gessler and sponsored by Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, to ensure the integrity of the Colorado voting system is being called a means to reduce voter participation by voters’ rights advocates. Gessler said his bill fixes what he sees as a serious problem of ineligible voters on the voter rolls.

The bill would give the secretary of state the authority to check names on voter registration lists against state and federal records that provide information on immigration status. In those cases where the secretary of state’s office determines that there is enough information to believe a person is not eligible to vote, the person would be given 90 days to provide evidence they are eligible. Individuals could prove their citizenship by showing photocopies of a passport, birth certificate, naturalization papers or through other methods.

Iowa: Iowa Secretary of State Schultz says Democrats killed voter ID | Des Moines Register

Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz issued a statement Friday criticizing Iowa Senate Democrats for killing his proposal to require all Iowa voters to show a photo identification card before they vote in an effort to prevent fraud.

“It is unfortunate that Senate Democrats have decided to kill a common-sense bill,” said Schultz, a Republican who had made the ID plan a cornerstone of his campaign last fall to oust incumbent Democrat Michael Mauro.

Editorials: The GOP’s Voter ID gambit | The Washington Post

As Republican governors and legislators across the country push forward with ambitious and sometimes controversial budget-cutting agendas, the GOP in many states is also quietly encouraging another controversial measure: Voter ID.

The Associated Press reported this weekend that Republicans are moving forward with such measures – which can require people to show identification or swear an oath of their identity when they vote – in about half of the 50 states. And in many of them, the bills have a better chance of becoming law than in a long time.

Texas: New Texas law requiring voter photo identification criticized | Laredo Sun

The impending law requiring voter photo identification was considered by Democrats as a political move so that fewer Hispanics go to vote when elections are held. “It’s just that, a political move aimed at creating difficulties for members of minorities to vote.

This is something that Republicans have long sought to remove power for the Latino vote,” said Sergio Mora, president of the Democratic Party in Webb. He said Governor Rick Perry declared this bill as an emergency in Texas Congress, knowing that there are really serious and severe problems in the state as the budget deficit and cuts to education.

Iowa: Photo ID to vote? Unnecessary, says Jasper County Iowa auditor | Newton Daily News

Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott is standing united with all other county auditors in Iowa to oppose a law championed by Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz that would require a photo identification to vote in Iowa. Although the law appears to be dead for this legislative session, Schultz is indicating that he doesn’t plan to let the issue die a permanent death.

House File 95 would require a person to produce a photo ID when voting at the polls. No county auditor in the state of Iowa, which includes 60 Republicans, 38 Democrats and one independent, was in favor of the bill. Although the purpose of the bill is to prevent voter fraud, Parrott said voter fraud is not a problem in Iowa, and besides, the bill is seriously flawed and totally unnecessary.

Rhode Island: Rhode Island Voter ID bill has support on both sides of the aisle | Providence Journal

It’s not every day that House Speaker Gordon D. Fox adds his name to a bill with Republican Joseph A. Trillo or even fellow Democrat Jon D. Brien. But Fox and House Majority Whip J. Patrick O’Neill, along with Brien, Trillo and Republican Tea Party member Doreen Costa, have joined together to support a bill that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls.

The unlikely tandem of state lawmakers is sponsoring House bill H-5680 at the request of Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, who argues that the “belief that voter fraud exists undermines the public’s faith in the fairness of our elections.”

Minnesota: ‘Photo ID’ backers get an e-mail scare | StarTribune.com

Backers of the “photo ID” voter legislation got a bit of a scare last week. The bill, which would require voters to show photo identification when they vote, was pronounced nearly dead by a group that had championed it.

“Internal Republican politics may ultimately kill 21st Century Voter ID,” screamed an e-mail alert from Minnesota Majority. The photo ID proposals originally were projected to cost $60 million because of weighty mandates that would require precincts to have electronic verification systems, making the bills a hard sell.

National: Across country, GOP pushes photo ID at the polls | The Associated Press

Empowered by last year’s elections, Republican leaders in about half the states are pushing to require voters to show photo ID at the polls despite little evidence of fraud and already-substantial punishments for those who vote illegally.

Democrats claim the moves will disenfranchise poor and minority voters — many of whom traditionally vote for their candidates. The measures will also increase spending and oversight in some states even as Republicans are focused on cutting budgets and decreasing regulations.

North Carolina: Proposed North Carolina Voter ID bill could be too costly | KTVD-TV

Legislative staff has come up with a non-partisan fiscal note on voter identification. On the high end, it shows the cost to the state could be two-and-a-half million dollars. But critics say that’s way under what other states have reported and isn’t close to what the actual cost may be. The fiscal note offers a range of what requiring voters to show identification at the polls could cost. On the low end the cost is almost $850,000, and on the high end, the cost is almost $2.5 million.

There are a lot of unknowns such as what it would cost counties. “What’s shocking about this estimate, it’s full of lines like ‘could not be determined,’ ‘could not be estimated,’ ‘was not included in this estimate,'” said Chris Kromm, Institute for Southern Studies.

Minnesota: Minnesota Voter ID bill would cost state many millions | MinnPost.com

Voter ID bills introduced early in the legislative session have languished for many reasons, but they might be mostly burdened by their potential costs. We wrote about some feared costs before, particularly as they apply to proposed electronic pollbooks.

Now, Minnesota Common Cause and Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota have compiled a detailed review (PDF) of the costs of House File 210 — which requires Voter ID and institutes the electronic voter check-in system statewide — and House File 89, which simply requires photo ID for voters. Bottom line: $84 million over three years for H.F. 210, and $25 million for H.F. 89.

Georgia: GA: Top Georgia court upholds state’s voter ID law | Washington Post

Georgia’s top court has upheld a state law that requires voters to show photo identification before they cast ballots. The Georgia Supreme Court’s 6-1 decision Monday is the latest court ruling to conclude that the rules are constitutional. The decision found the 2006 law was a “minimal, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory restriction.”

Georgia attorneys said the measure is needed to prevent voter fraud, but the Democratic Party of Georgia countered that state legislators have no proof anyone tried to illegally cast a ballot. Critics have also long claimed the law creates an undue burden on the poor, the disabled and minorities. Read the Court Opinion (pdf)

Texas: Texas House panel approves voter ID bill | The Dallas Morning News

Legislation that would for the first time require Texans to show a photo ID to vote was approved by a House committee on Monday and sent to the full House, where it is expected to easily pass.

The voter ID bill, which already has been approved by the Senate, was approved by the House Select Committee on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud on a 5-2 vote, with Democrats Marc Veasey of Fort Worth and Scott Hochberg of Houston casting the no votes.

Missouri: Missouri State Senate Passes Voter ID Bill | KOMU.com

A bill that would require Missouri to show a state, federal, or military picture ID when voting moved to the house Friday after passage in the state senate the day before. The bill would amend the state’s constitution to change those requirements. Republican Senator Bill Stouffer of Marshall sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 2.

“Our right to vote is probably one of the most important privileges we have and to ensure the integrity of the voting is extremely important,” Stouffer said. Versions of this bill have come up before, most notably in 2008, but Stouffer said this one lacks the flaws of previous versions.

Wisconsin: GOP raises the stakes: Voter ID Bill Coming to Wisconsin Legislature in Dems’ Absence? | JSOnline

In a move meant to lure boycotting opposition senators back to Wisconsin, the Republican leader of the state Senate threatened Monday to force a vote soon on a bill that is abhorred by Democrats: requiring people to show an ID at the polls.

The push on the photo ID bill by Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) is the latest example of Republicans pressuring Democrats in hopes of ending the standoff over the bill on union rights. Senate Democrats disappeared to Illinois on Thursday to prevent a vote on that bill, and they’ve been there ever since.