Thread: US House passes voter ID card legislation

Wednesday, September 20, 2006


US House passes voter ID card legislation Alexis Unkovic at 7:50 PM ET

[JURIST] The US House of Representatives passed a bill [HR 4844 text, PDF] Wednesday 228-196 [roll call] that would require voters to present valid photo ID cards [JURIST news archive] when they head to the polls to vote in federal elections starting in 2008, thereby amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 [text; DOJ fact sheet]. By 2010, under the bill, voters would have to present identification that certifies they are US citizens. In addition, the bill contains a provision requiring that states provide the required documentation to indigent citizens free of charge.

Republican supporters of the measure, including US Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) [official website], one of the bill's co-sponsors and chair of the House Administration Committee [official website], said it would ensure integrity in the election process [press release] and combat fraud. Democratic opponents of the bill, such as US Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) [official website] have argued a voter ID law will disproportionately disadvantage the poor, minorities, and the elderly [statement text]. Similar bills have been struck down in various states, most recently Georgia, where a state judge Tuesday ruled the latest state voter ID law unconstitutional [JURIST report]. The House bill requires Senate passage and Presidential signature before becoming law. AP has more.
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2 ... d-card.php

House passes bill to make voters show ID By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 20, 7:16 PM ET



The House voted Wednesday to require Americans to show proof of citizenship in order to vote, and the Senate moved to build a 700-mile fence along the Mexican border as Republicans sharpened attacks on illegal immigration before the midterm elections.

The 228-196 House vote on a new photo ID plan and the Senate's consideration of the fence were both part of a get-tough policy on illegal immigrants that Republicans have embraced after Congress' failure to agree on broader legislation that would set a path for undocumented workers to attain citizenship.

House GOP leaders have insisted that tighter borders and tougher laws must precede more comprehensive immigration changes. The House passed the fence bill last week and plans votes Thursday on other enforcement measures: to increase penalties for people building tunnels under the border, make it easier to detain and deport immigrant gang members and criminals and clarify the ability of state and local authorities to detain illegal immigrants.

Republican sponsors of the voter identification bill said it was a commonsense way to stop fraud at the polls. People need photo IDs to board planes, buy alcohol or cash checks, said Rep. Vernon Ehlers (news, bio, voting record), R-Mich., chairman of the House Administration Committee. "This is not a new concept."

"This is what Americans want," said Rep. John Mica (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla., "They want safe borders and they want safe ballots."

But Democrats assailed the legislation, saying it could hurt minorities, the poor and the elderly — groups that tend to vote Democratic — who might have trouble producing a photo identification.

"This bill is tantamount to a 21st century poll tax," said Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. "It will disenfranchise large number of legal voters."

Rep. Ike Skelton (news, bio, voting record), D-Mo., said he was initially denied a voter ID required under a Missouri state law because he doesn't have a driver's license and couldn't immediately produce a passport or birth certificate. His congressional ID card was not accepted.

A Missouri court earlier this month struck down the state law, and on Tuesday a state superior court judge in Georgia ruled that that state's law requiring a photo ID was an unconstitutional condition for voting.

The bill would require everyone to present a photo ID before voting in federal elections by 2008. By 2010 voters would have to have photo IDs that certified they were citizens. In response to criticism that this would be a burden for the poor, the bill stipulates that states must provide the identification cards free of charge to those who can't afford them.

The Senate, meanwhile, voted Wednesday to take up a bill to build a 700-mile fence along one-third of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Action on the fence, which could cost billions of dollars, comes four months after the Senate approved legislation that, along with tightening border security, created a guest worker program and outlined how people in the country illegally could work toward legal status and eventual citizenship.

President Bush has supported this broader approach, but it has met strong resistance in the House, where opponents have said it was tantamount to amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Bush, in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, said he would sign a fencebuilding bill as part of efforts to strengthen the border. But he added, "I would view this as an interim step. I don't view this as the final product. And I will keep urging people to have a comprehensive reform."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said, "While I've made it clear that I prefer a comprehensive solution, I have always said we need an enforcement-first approach to immigration reform."

Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada countered, "We can build the tallest fence in the world and it won't fix our broken immigration system." To do that, he said, "we need the kind of comprehensive reform that the Senate passed earlier this year."

The current bill wouldn't provide funding to cover costs of the fencing and other barriers aimed at preventing illegal entry. About $1 billion for the fencing is likely to be included in a bill for the Department of Homeland Security that Congress is expected to approve before its scheduled adjournment next week for the elections.

Also on Wednesday, a bipartisan task force recommended that Congress provide a path to legal status for immigrants who can demonstrate steady employment, knowledge of English and payment of taxes and who pass a background security check.

The panel, chaired by Spencer Abraham, former Republican senator from Michigan and energy secretary, and Lee Hamilton, former Democratic representative from Indiana and chair of the 9/11 Commission, also urged new verification mechanisms to assist employers in hiring only authorized workers.

___

The voter ID bill is H.R. 4844.

The fence bill is H.R. 6061.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060920/ap_ ... NlYwN0bWE-

OK,

1. Even though this does not take effect till 2007 we can circulate this news to create confusion in the ranks of the illegal aliens they are trying to muster to vote in 2006.

2. Correct me if Im wrong, but will this legislation not serve to nullify the use of CA driver licenses and any other state driver license that does not require legal presence to receive one?

I'm hoping we can knock out two legal birds with one stone here.

You can bet this will end up in the courts though.

W

So far the Arizona voter ID law has stood up. The Judge in Ga. was probably an activist Judge.

I agree William, this will not work if illegal aliens are issued drivers licenses, the republican candidate for governor in MA is behind new laws to not issue drivers licenses to illegal aliens and to have drivers licenses expire on the date of their resident card expiration for resident aliens, but that would mean that resident aliens would be voting and probably are voting now as well as illegal aliens. Again I am not sure if they are checking the ID box on the voter registration cards at all and how this process is done. And yes that is too much time for this to take effect. I do not know why they put out the execution dates on these laws so far into the future to make them effective.

Democratic opponents of the bill, such as US Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) [official website] have argued a voter ID law will disproportionately disadvantage the poor, minorities, and the elderly [statement text].

WWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Note the story about illegal aliens and drivers licences in New Mexico.

Democratic opponents of the bill, such as US Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) have argued a voter ID law will disproportionately disadvantage the poor, minorities, and the elderly.

I listened to the debate leading up to the vote and the intention is to provide funding and assistance to those who need help getting and paying for proper IDs, so this should not be an issue.

What amazes me though is how the Dems and Repubs could be so diametrically opposed in their voting on such a practical, logical issue such as this, especially when both profess that we must do everything possible to reduce voting fraud and make sure that the votes of all citizens count. There were numerous examples cited in recent elections where the number of votes cast was higher than the number of registered voters - thus demonstrating voting fraud.

This is just another instance in which the actions of our politicians are not consistent with their rhetoric.