The House has passed legislation to require photo identification of voters at the polls. The Affiliate and other civil rights groups lobbied against its passage. Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis has been a major proponent of the legislation.
Studies have shown that a voter ID requirement can serve as a poll tax, disenfranchising eligible voters and posing a particular burden on poor, elderly, disabled and minority voters who may not have the requisite ID or the ability to pay to obtain the necessary documents for one. The ACLU also charged that the bill was an attempt to “fix” a largely non-existent problem of alleged voter impersonation at the polls. The Affiliate is working in the Senate to keep this bill from passing.
