The Virginia legislature has toughened the requirements voters must when voting. Begining next year, voters will need a photo ID. The proposal, HB 1337, has passed both by delegates and senate; the governor has not yet signed it.
The bill would stop the use a utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck that shows the name and address of the voter and a voter's social security card as acceptable identification documents that a voter must present when voting at the polls on election day.
The bill’s sponsor, Del. Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg) said he thought the change was necessary after watching a video of a staffer from Rep. Jim Moran’s (D-VA) campaign discussing ways to commit voter fraud using this types of items as ID.
“HB1337 removes items like utility bills, bank statements, and paychecks from the list of acceptable ID for voting purposes,” Cole told Examiner.com March 13. “These items are very weak forms of ID that are easy to forge, and are generally not accepted as ID for other transactions. They really never should have been included on the list to begin with.
“I do not believe this will prevent anyone from legally voting, since the Voter Registration Card is still on the list of acceptable ID, and everyone is given a Voter Registration Card when they register to vote.”
The proposal which would take effect Jan. 1, 2014, would apply to new voters. It would also bring Virginia into compliance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
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