House panel advances bill on voters without ID

By: Wesley P. Hester | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: January 27, 2012

A bill to require voters without identification to cast provisional ballots is headed to the House floor.

On a 15-6 vote, the House Committee on Privileges and Election advanced House Bill 9, sponsored by Del. Mark L. Cole, R-Spotsylvania, the committee's chairman.

The legislation would alter existing law, which allows anyone who claims to be a registered voter to cast a regular ballot, even without proper identification.

Democrats opposed the change, claiming it would suppress the vote of the elderly, the young, the poor and minorities.

"There's no way humanly possible that I can support this bill," said Del. Algie T. Howell Jr., D-Norfolk.

"I don't know why we have this bill in front of us if we don't have documented cases of voter fraud," added Del. Kenneth C. Alexander, D-Norfolk.

Republicans argued that the bill is a common-sense measure to correct a flaw in existing law.

Del. Robert B. Bell, R-Albemarle, asked a representative of the State Board of Elections what would happen under current law if 15 people all voted under the same name, even after the names was crossed off the list.

"Those votes are counted," said Justin Riemer, deputy secretary at the SBE.

"I'm trying to understand what the controversy of the bill is," said Del. David B. Albo, R-Fairfax, noting that the provisional ballots are reviewed the day after the election by the local electoral board.

"If they are legit, they get counted," Albo said.