Legitimate voter IDs still an issue; what about high school IDs?
25 September, 2012
category: Education
While colleges and universities struggle to make sure their students can legally qualify to vote in the November election, another issue has cropped up, at least in one state. What about high school IDs that may meet voting law requirements but aren’t specifically mentioned in a voter ID law?
Granted, a slim minority of high school students–those who are 18 come election day–are qualified to vote. But can they?
In Kansas, the only reference to a valid student ID card mentioned in the state’s voter ID law is one issued “by an accredited postsecondary institution of education.” In other words, Kansas’ voter ID requirements don’t explicitly include high school identification cards.
One elections official said he believes that high school students will be able to vote under a clause that allows IDs issued by local governments.
However, one county elections supervisor said the law specifically mentions postsecondary institutions only. “A high school would not be postsecondary, so I’m thinking a high school ID would not be sufficient,” the official said.
Meanwhile, schools in Pennsylvania are still scrambling to issue qualified student IDs that can be used at the polls. That involves mostly including an expi9ration date on the ID. Some schools are issuing stickers that can be affixed to the IDs.
“It’s a real challenge for colleges,” said Jonathan Romm, national director of the Campus Election Engagement Project, who added that “very few” campuses print expiration dates on student ID cards.
For more on the Kansas high school ID situation, go here. Updates on Pennsylvania’s voter ID law can be found here.
