by Constitution Staff
Bills to prevent election fraud won support in both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature. If a measure is eventually signed into law, Oklahoma would join 22 other states that have adopted similar voter identification requirements.
The Oklahoma House passed House Bill 2956 on March 10, 2008. The bill would require Oklahomans to show photo identification before they could vote. The House approved the bill 55-42 in a mostly party line vote with Republicans supporting the identification requirement and Democrats being opposed. Republicans said the verification requirement was needed to restore the public's faith in the voting process, while Democrats alleged it would retard voting.
The primary author of the bill, Rep. Sue Tibbs (R-Tulsa), said the legislation was designed to discourage voter fraud in Oklahoma elections and would not hamper legitimate voters. Tibbs revealed that election officials have discovered discrepancies in past elections, including votes being cast by dead people and residents of vacant homes or by those with non-existent addresses. She said that in one recent election, precinct workers collected 2,615 provisional ballots, but only 201 were actually counted because the rest were ineligible to vote.
The bill would allow eight forms of photo identification, including an Oklahoma driver's license, identification cards issued by the Department of Public Safety or a federally recognized Indian tribe, a U.S. passport, military and student identification cards and debit or credit cards with photos of the user. Opponents charged that the cost of an identification card could have the effect of disenfranchising poor and elderly voters and that the cost amounts to a poll tax.
The House Republicans killed an amendment that Democrats claimed would increase voter turnout. "Instead of what could have been a debate about making it easier to vote, the majority instead gave their support to legislation that places hurdles in front of citizens exercising their fundamental right to vote," said Rep. Ryan Kiesel ( D- Seminole).
Kiesel's amendment would have allowed people to register to vote at polling places on an election day. "My amendment has been proven in at least six other states to increase turnout," said Kiesel. Under current law, a person must register at least 24 days in advance of an election to vote. "No one should have their fundamental right to vote abridged because they didn't register by some arbitrary date," said Kiesel.
State election officials have said that a photo ID requirement at polling places could create long lines and delays on election day. State Election Board Secretary Michael Clingman speculated that implementing the measure might cost $90,000 per election to pay for an additional 1,000 precinct officials to check IDs.
While HB 2956 failed to be reported out of the assigned committee in the Senate, a similar measure made its way from the Senate. On March 13, Senate Bill 1150 was approved in the Senate by a 39-9 vote. The principal author of the bill, Sen. John Ford (R-Bartlesville), said it would simply require voters to show some form of identification at the polls. "You can't write a check or board an airplane without proof of your identity, but when it comes to deciding who will run our state or our nation, we have nothing in place to verify the person voting is who they say they are," Ford said. "My bill will simply help ensure the integrity of the process by verifying the person at the polls is who they say they are."
The legislation would allow voters to present a valid identification card, driver license, passport, state identification card, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck, or any other government document showing the voter's name and address.
"Opponents argue that requiring identification will stop people from voting. I don't buy that argument. Requiring a person to show identification to write a check at the store certainly doesn't keep people from buying groceries," said Ford.
Rep. Tibbs, is the House author of the Senate bill. "We have made it easier to vote over the years, and that has not increased turnout but instead has led to a lack of confidence in the voting process," said Tibbs. "The number one way to increase interest in the voting process is to give Oklahomans the assurance that their vote will count."
If a voter does not have a photo ID when they show up to vote, the legislation allows them to cast a ballot if they sign a sworn statement swearing or affirming that they are the person identified on the official precinct registry. "Everyone who is eligible to vote will be able to under this legislation," said Tibbs.
The Senate Bill 1150 passed the House on April 14 by a vote of 56-42. The bill was returns to the Senate for consideration of amendments added by the House.
