The voter photo ID bill continues to move through the Kentucky general assembly. The legislation, requiring a photo ID before casting a vote at Kentucky precincts, emerged from a House committee Thursday. The bill does allow for signing a form affirming qualified reasons for not having that form of ID.
Newly elected Secretary of State Michael Adams testified in support of the measure. “So, to me, it’s important to spot any vulnerability in our system. And I’ve spotted several and raised all of them. But this is one of them. I think we’ve got to be confident when we have a governor who won by a third of a percentage point, that we don’t have rumors out there that are not responsible suggesting that something was stolen from anybody. And this is part of how we restore that integrity and public confidence in our system,” Adams said.
There was significant testimony from those with concerns about the legislation. That included a University of Kentucky professor, plus representatives with the ACLU and the NAACP. Their primary worry was that such a law would depress voting among minorities, the elderly, and the disabled. Josh Douglas is a law professor at UK. “I, in my studies have concluded that photo ID laws don’t do any good and can do harm. There’s no problem of in-person impersonation that affects Kentucky elections or any other elections in the country,” noted Douglas.
Now the Senate bill heads to the House floor.
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