New voter identification requirements passed the North Dakota House Thursday. For voters who don’t have a proper ID, the bill does away with the affidavit option that was available during November’s election in favor of a ballot that is set aside and excluded from the count until the voter’s eligibility is confirmed, said Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot. He called it a “voter integrity bill.” House Bill 1369, introduced by House Majority Leader Al Carlson and other Republican lawmakers, passed on a 74-16 vote Thursday. “Everyone eligible to vote in North Dakota elections shall be able to vote one time, and everyone not eligible to vote in North Dakota elections shall not be able to vote,” Louser said.
The debate on the House floor largely centered around whether the increased penalties for voter fraud included in the bill were too steep and whether voter fraud is even a problem in North Dakota.
“Raising the penalty for violating this bill to a felony is just mean-spirited and unnecessary and a form of voter intimidation,” said Rep. Mary Schneider, D-Fargo.
Lawmakers are again considering changes to the state’s voter ID requirements after laws passed in the 2013 and 2015 were challenged in court. In September, a federal judge ordered the state to provide affidavits to voters who couldn’t provide a valid ID.
Full Article: Voter ID bill easily passes North Dakota House | North Dakota News | bismarcktribune.com.