Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Virginia Legislative Update: Voter ID Law Enacted

From the office of Governor McDonnell, edited for format only:

Commonwealth of Virginia, Office of Governor Bob McDonnell

Governor Directs State Board of Elections to Send Every Virginia Voter a
Free Voter Card Between Now and Election Day, Ensures All Virginia Voters
Will Have ID to Vote in November


Governor: We will be sending every voter in Virginia a free voter card
between now and Election Day to ensure they have at least one form of ID to
bring with them to the polls. On Election Day this year, every Virginia
voter will have at least one valid ID.
RICHMOND Governor Bob McDonnell signed today legislation that the General
Assembly sent him that will expand the forms of acceptable identification
for voting, and change the procedure when someone votes without presenting
identification, requiring them to vote provisionally and later present an
approved ID to their local registrar through email, fax, mail, or hand
delivery. Governor McDonnell also issued an executive order today directing
the State Board of Elections to take a number of steps to implement this
legislation. Among other things, the executive order directs the State
Board of Elections to send every Virginia voter a voter card, a valid form
of ID under state law, before Election Day, so that every registered
Virginia voter has a valid ID to present at the polls.


Virginia's Voter ID law has been in place since 2000. This legislation
only deals with individuals who do not bring an approved form of ID with
them to the polls when voting.
Open and secure elections are the cornerstone of a free democracy and
are essential for citizens to have faith in their government, McDonnell
said. Every qualified citizen has the right to cast one vote. Not two
votes; not zero votes. It is our duty as a democracy to ensure that is
always the case. For a dozen years, Virginia has already required voters to
bring identification to the polls. This legislation does two things. It
increases the forms of identification that can be used for purpose of
voting, while helping to further prevent voter fraud and ensuring Virginians
that they can have faith that votes have not been fraudulently cast.


The executive order issued by the governor directs the State Board of
Elections to take a number of steps regarding implementation of this
legislation. First, the State Board of Elections will issue voter cards to
every Virginia voter between now and Election Day. Second, the State Board
of Elections will coordinate a public education campaign to help raise
awareness about the need to bring an approved ID to the polling place on
Election Day, and the process for obtaining a free voter card if someone
does not have a form of ID. Third, the State Board of Elections will make
clear that localities may contact voters who vote provisionally without an
ID about the need to provide ID prior to noon on Friday after the election.
Lastly, the State Board of Elections will collect data regarding provisional
ballots cast and the number of voters who vote without an ID.
The additional steps my administration will take to implement this
legislation will ensure that no voter is overly burdened by the provisions
included in this legislation, Governor McDonnell continued. Some have
argued that there are voters who do not have any form of ID to bring to the
polls. For that reason, we will be sending every voter in Virginia a free
voter card between now and Election Day to ensure they have at least one
form of ID to bring with them to the polls. On Election Day this year, every
Virginia voter will have at least one valid ID.


On April 9, 2012, the governor submitted a number of proposed
amendments to the General Assembly to improve the legislation, and most were
approved. One set of amendments would have created a system for simple
signature comparison that would have allowed someone's vote to be cast
without any follow up action required on the part of the voter; however, the
General Assembly regrettably did not accept this set of amendments.
While I think the legislation would have been improved with the
signature comparison provision that would have virtually eliminated the need
for nearly anyone to have to return with an ID later in the week, the
legislation returned to me, coupled with the above additional steps to be
implemented by executive order, is an important step in securing our
elections and preventing any possible fraud, Governor McDonnell remarked.
I was pleased that the General Assembly approved my remaining amendments,
particularly my proposal to extend the time a voter has to transmit or
present their ID after Election Day until Friday at noon after the
election.


Virginia first implemented a voter identification requirement in
2000. Virginia has never required, nor does this legislation require, photo
identification to vote.
Under this legislation and existing law, the following are acceptable
forms of ID for voting:


Virginia voter registration card
Social Security card
Valid Virginia driver’s license
Any other identification card issued by an agency of the Commonwealth, one
of its political subdivisions, or the United States
Any valid student identification card issued by a Virginia institution of
higher education
A valid identification card issued by an employer containing a photograph
of the voter
A copy of a current utility bill
A copy of a bank statement
A government check
A paycheck that shows the name and address of the voter.
Virginia's current voter ID law commands broad compliance. While
comprehensive statewide statistics are not available, a survey of localities
from the last presidential and gubernatorial elections in 2008 and 2009
indicate a compliance rate of well over 99%. Only a handful of voters per
precinct, on average, do not bring an approved ID document. The intensive
voter education initiatives contained in this Executive Order will increase
compliance and continue Virginia s tradition of honest elections. The
Governor strongly encourages all voters to register and vote in the
important elections this year.


Contact: Jeff Caldwell
Phone: (804) 225-4260
Email:
Jeff.Caldwell@Governor.Virginia.Gov
Editor's comment: Here's the full text:
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+ful+CHAP0838

I like it. This law doesn't require voters to carry around excessively complete documentation, and does allow those who aren't carrying any documentation a provisional vote. There's nothing discriminatory about it. Hurrah!

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