Photo ID Requirement headed to vote in Congress

by Jessica Brady

The House Administration Committee turned its back on American voters today and passed legislation which would require photo ID when voting for all federal elections.  The bill is headed to the floor for a vote by the full House of Representatives next week.

H.R. 4844, was introduced by Rep. Henry Hyde.  Rep. Vernon Elders introduced a substitute bill today, keeping the disfranchising provisions but extending the implementation date to 2008, which was ultimately passed out of committee. The National Campaign for Fair Elections and a diverse groups of organizations oppose the bill.

This legislation would require all voters to present a photo ID at the polls. Only government-issued ID, obtained after providing proof of citizenship, would be accepted.  This burdensome and unnecessary requirement would prevent eligible voters from casting a ballot, particularly minority voters, seniors, rural voters, the poor, and students.

Congressional Quarterly covered the mark-up:

Panel Approves Bill To Require Voters To Show Photo ID

Legislation that would require voters to present a photo identification card before casting their ballot passed the House Administration Committee today amid Democratic cries that the bill would disenfranchise minorities, the poor and disabled.

Speaking against the bill, House Administration ranking member Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., said "partisan attempts to burden our nation with troublesome proof of citizenship requirements are not the direction our committee should be heading." The legislation, which passed on a party line 4-3 vote, would require all eligible voters to obtain a government-issued photo ID in order to cast a ballot, after showing their birth certificate or passport to prove citizenship. The measure was introduced in March by Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., to create a safeguard against voter fraud, but Democrats contend it would block from voting individuals without birth certificates, such as those born in rural areas or elderly citizens who do not have such documentation.

Democrats also contend that obtaining the birth certificate or passport needed for the ID can be expensive and could potentially deter poor citizens who do not have the means to obtain those papers. "This has to hurt voter apathy by making people go through a couple more steps," said Rep. Bob Brady, D-Pa., who noted during the committee markup that he does not have a birth certificate. But House Administration Chairman Ehlers said that under the bill, low-income citizens would be reimbursed for the cost of a passport or birth certificate.

The bill would cover federal elections and would go into effect November 2008. It follows up on a law enacted last year, which also goes into effect in 2008, requiring proof of legal status when applying for a government ID. The Hyde bill aims to ensure proof of citizenship at the polling place, as well as verification with the picture ID. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., offered a similar amendment to the immigration bill that would require all voters to present a photo ID by 2008. That amendment is not included in the comprehensive immigration package. The bill marked up in committee now moves to the House floor, possibly next week. There is no companion bill in the Senate.