Voter ID Bills up for House Vote Today

Two bills that would require presentation of a photo ID to vote come before the House today: House Bill 218 and HB 626. Supporters say these laws are needed to prevent voter fraud. Critics say the "Voter ID" bills would be better called "Voter Roadblock" bills and are solutions in search of a problem. Groups such as the League of Women Voters and People for the American Way say that voter fraud is more rare than people getting hit by lightning and that what the bills would really prevent is voting by the poor, elderly, and minorities – groups that are all less likely to possess a form of photo identification. Check back with Chronic throughout the day for updates.

Follow this link for an analysis of the bills by the True Courage Action Network.

CLARIFICATION: The difference between these two bills: HB 218 requires a would-be voter to present photo ID at the time of voting; HB 626 would require a photo ID for voter registration. Of course, the latter requires the elimination of registration by those handy postcards you see everywhere and replaces it with business reply mail.

UPDATE: This bill is being updated now (1:30pm Monday). You can watch the debate live here.