January 27, 2023
Requiring Photo Id To Vote Act
Key Takeaways
A government-issued photo identification (“photo ID”) is a fundamental requirement of an effective electoral system that protects the validity of every legal vote and legal voter. Out of 47 European countries, 46 require photo ID to vote. Photo IDs are regularly required in personal and professional situations to verify that an individual is who they claim to be. Additionally, obtaining a photo ID for voting should be free of cost. This requirement is vital to ensure each voter is properly identified to protect against voter fraud, guarantee fair outcomes, and help restore trust in the results. These measures will help make it easy to vote but hard to cheat.
Section 1. {Basic Elements of the Bill}
- As of [bill effective date], a registered voter casting a ballot shall provide a form of personal photo identification (photo ID). Any document issued by the U.S. government or the state of [state name] that includes ALL the following is an acceptable photo ID:
- An expiration date that has not passed;
- A photograph of the voter;
- The voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book; and
- The voter’s current address, which must substantially conform to the voter’s address as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book unless the ID is a [state name] driver’s license or state ID card.
- Additionally, these forms of ID are acceptable:
- Military ID: Valid military identification cards or copies of such cards must be accepted regardless of whether they contain a name or address. However, this form of ID must still allow a precinct election official to determine that it is the military ID card of the person who is presenting it for the purpose of voting.
- A voter photo identification card as issued by the state of residence as provided in [subsection].
- If the voter provides the following types of identification documents showing their name, which substantially conforms to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book, their ballot shall be placed in the provisional section, and the voter shall be provided three (3) days to return with a valid photo ID:
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck or pay stub
- Other government document
- If the voter does not return within three (3) days with a valid photo ID, their vote shall be discarded.
Section 2. {Voter Photo Identification Card}
- As of [bill effective date], the [appropriate state entity] shall issue, upon application, a [state] voter photo identification card to registered [state] electors, which shall under state law be valid only for the purposes of voter identification under [cite subsection] and available only to registered electors of this state.
- No fee shall be charged or collected for the application for or issuance of a [state] voter photo identification card.
- The [appropriate state entity] shall also place on their website the information regarding an application for the voter photo identification card.