Ohio Republicans introduce photo ID requirement for voting
Just yesterday, we noted the speed with which GOP legislators are introducing new bills to regulate elections and voting in Ohio. Apparently we posted too soon.
Today, the Ohio General Assembly has yet another voting bill on its agenda. House Bill 269, sponsored by Rep. John Becker (R-Union Township), imposes strict new requirements for photo identification in order to vote in Ohio.
The legislation is nearly identical to a bill introduced in 2011 and passed by the Ohio House. That bill was opposed by, among others, the American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters, AARP and the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.
Voters unable to present one of the four legal forms of ID – an Ohio driver’s license or state identification card, a military identification card or a U.S. passport – would be forced to vote provisionally, votes which will never count unless a voter provides the Board of Elections within ten days one of the prescribed forms of identification.
Voters would no longer be able to prove residence with a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or other government document. [Read more…]