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.
Incumbent Secretary of State Elaine Walker touted her background as a two-term mayor of Bowling Green and her efforts to make Kentucky more business-friendly as the reason voters should choose her in the May 17 Democratic primary against Kentucky attorney Allison Lundergan Grimes.
Grimes said she is the only lifelong Democrat and the only lifelong Kentuckian in the race, and that she has the background to make the secretary of state’s office more responsive to the needs of businesses that want to create jobs in Kentucky.
Full Article: Voter identification becomes issue in debate by secretary of state candidates | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com.