Voter ID Measures In Limbo As Some Seek Compromise

RALEIGH – As the short session of the General Assembly enters its first full week, legislative leaders on both sides of the voter ID issue say they don’t know what action, if any, will be taken to change requirements to vote.

Last year, a veto by Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue of a strict voter ID bill halted Republican attempts to require all citizens to present a photo ID when voting. Republican House members tried but weren’t able to convince any Democrats to support an override of the veto.

Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake, said she’s heard all types of rumors about efforts that could be made to enact a voter ID law this year.

“I’ve heard that they’re trying to get an override,” Ross said. “I’ve heard that some people are wanting to compromise.”

Rep. Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said he wasn’t sure what would come out of the short session of the General Assembly.

“There are probably some ways of reaching a compromise,” Moore said.

Moore said that one potential compromise would include having alternatives to the requirement for a government-issued photo ID. Those alternatives could include utility statements that include the voter’s address or some type of government record that verifies the address.

Ross said that such a compromise could garner enough support from the Democratic caucus to garner a veto-proof majority, should enough Republicans agree to back it. Ross said that those documents are recognized by the federal government as a way someone first registering to vote can prove residency.

Ross added that she didn’t understand why such documents that are acceptable when someone registers tovote aren’t sufficient when a person goes to vote.

Moore suggested that using such forms for voter ID could face legal problems.

“You can’t be assured that the courts will uphold it,” Moore said. He said that the bill that eventually passed the General Assembly and subsequently was vetoed by Perdue was based on laws in other states that had been upheld by the courts.

In 2011, Republicans who took charge of both chambers of the General Assembly for the first time since Reconstruction sought to fulfill a 2010 campaign promise by enacting the voter ID law.

Supporters of voter ID bills say the legislation is needed to prevent voter fraud. Opponents question the necessity of such a law and say that having a strict photo ID requirement could suppress voter participation.

Barry Smith is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.