Photo ID Defeated in Senate

by Jonah Goldman

May 23, 2006: A broad coalition of voting rights and civil rights organizations, as well as organizations representing state and local election officials, dodged a bullet on by preventing enactment of a proposal to require all voters to present photo identification at the polls for all federal elections. Senator Mitch McConnell proposed this amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2006. The National Campaign, along with diverse allies from around the country, worked to defeat the McConnell amendment to prevent the disenfranchisement of millions of Americans. In addition to the barage of problems associated with photo ID, the McConnell amendment raises several other major issues. It contradicts implementation deadlines for the REAL ID Act, creating a federal mandate for an identification tool not yet available. And it undermines the continuing efforts of the states to enfranchise every eligible voter through the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

Read our letter to the Senate here.

Read the McConnell Amendment here.