SJR7 on Arkansas’ voter ID stalled. Meanwhile Wisconsin’s voter ID law upheld
In 2013, Arkansas passed Act 595 (SB2) by Senator Bryan King. The law protected our voting process by requiring voters to show identification. Unfortunately, the courts stopped the new law.
Supporters of Voter ID laws across the country recently received fantastic news. The U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear a challenge to the Wisconsin voter ID law, which is one of the toughest voter ID laws in the country.[i] So what does that mean? Wisconsin’s Voter ID law has been upheld as a valid and constitutional law.
This session Senator King is trying again to pass voter ID with SJR7. SJR7 is a proposed constitutional amendment and would be voted upon by the people. You would think that the Wisconsin news would be a boost for Senator King’s effort.
Since every Republican in the legislature voted for the law in 2013 and since the Republican majorities in the Arkansas House and Senate increased, you would think that Senator King’s new Voter ID proposal would sail through the General Assembly. Not so.
Word came a few days ago that the General Assembly does not intend to send ANY proposed constitutional amendments to the people.[ii] So what happened to the Arkansas Republican commitment to requiring voter ID at the polls?
Perhaps they will reconsider based on the this good news regarding Wisconsin voter ID.
– – – – –
[i] http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-lets-wisconsin-voter-id-law-stand/2015/03/23/9d82b8da-d162-11e4-a62f-ee745911a4ff_story.html
[ii] Legislators: Not sending amendments to ’16 voters, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 03/20/2015