Arkansas Senator Proposes 2 Voter ID Bills
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: December 13, 2012
The battle over voter ID laws has made its way into Arkansas.
On Thursday, Senator Bryan King filed two bills requiring identification at the polls.
Senator King filed a voter ID bill during the last legislative session in 2011 which passed in the House of Representatives, but got stuck in the Senate.
Now King is trying again with two bills.
The first would make it necessary for voters to show some kind of government-issued photo ID at the polls, and the second would put voter ID laws on the ballot, making it a constitutional amendment.
The issue created plenty of controversy in the last election when Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a similar bill.
Opponents say requiring a photo ID is a barrier that disenfranchises minority, elderly and younger voters, but proponents like Senator King say it prevents fraud.
And this year, he's confident his bills will pass.
"I feel much more optimistic about it making it through," King says. "Many polls show 75 percent approve of this. It's a common sense matter to protect the integrity of the elections."
King's voter ID bill would allow voters to cast a provisional ballot if they don't have identification.
On Thursday, Senator Bryan King filed two bills requiring identification at the polls.
Senator King filed a voter ID bill during the last legislative session in 2011 which passed in the House of Representatives, but got stuck in the Senate.
Now King is trying again with two bills.
The first would make it necessary for voters to show some kind of government-issued photo ID at the polls, and the second would put voter ID laws on the ballot, making it a constitutional amendment.
The issue created plenty of controversy in the last election when Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a similar bill.
Opponents say requiring a photo ID is a barrier that disenfranchises minority, elderly and younger voters, but proponents like Senator King say it prevents fraud.
And this year, he's confident his bills will pass.
"I feel much more optimistic about it making it through," King says. "Many polls show 75 percent approve of this. It's a common sense matter to protect the integrity of the elections."
King's voter ID bill would allow voters to cast a provisional ballot if they don't have identification.
