Posted on 06/28/2006 8:30:52 PM PDT by LdSentinal
ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday approved rules governing Georgia's new photo IDs for voters, clearing the way for the State Election Board to decide whether to require them for the July 18 primary.
The rules establish what kinds of documents must be presented to obtain one of the free IDs, as well as where and when they will be distributed. Critics of the law — which mandates that all voters present a government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot — are expected to respond by seeking an injunction to block the law.
The Republican-backed law was passed in 2005, but a federal judge blocked enforcement, saying it amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax. The state Legislature amended the law early this year to make the IDs free of charge.
Under rules the Election Board adopted last week by a 3-1 vote, anyone needing a voter ID card must provide one or more documents showing date of birth, evidence of being registered to vote, and proof of name and address.
Student ID cards, nursing home cards, a pilot's license, a birth certificate, a utility bill and a bank statement are among items on the long list of acceptable forms of ID.
Election Board members said last week that once they received approval from Washington they would decide whether the law could be implemented for the primary. A special meeting of the board has been called for Thursday.
Board members Tex McIver and Randy Evans said they hoped to begin issuing the IDs soon for the July primary.
However, McIver had said earlier Wednesday that it was unlikely the state could mount an effective voter education effort before then.
Seems reasonable enough to me. I believe the law requires you to be over 18 and a US citizen to be eligible to vote.
Hooray for Georgia! Now, can the rest of us get our state houses to pass the same thing? I hope!
Excellent!
Anyone needing to be educated would probably vote Rat.
here in georgia ,if you are republican you have always needed ID to vote.this should really make it hard for convicts and dead people to vote.all the hell raising was from the left.im not kidding! sarc.
Ping.
Once again the party that dunce alan simpson, of simpson mazzoli fame, once called the stupid party, has shown itself to be anything but. We are winning the war on rat voter fraud PERIOD.
Atlanta may well burn again.
This sounds great. We need the same thing here in Utah.
Where does one go to get one of these ID cards?
FWIW: I liked NY's solution. Voter simply signs signature when registering, copy of signature is sent to assigned voting site, you sign when you show up and get to vote if signatures match. No ID cards required.
If anything, however, at least NY has made a decent effort.
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