LSU issuing voter ID compliant credentials
Addition of signatures, photos make IDs voter compliant
11 November, 2016
category: Card Issuance, Privilege Control
Louisiana State University students were able to, for the first time, use their university-issued ID cards to vote at their local polling places this week.
According to a report from The Advocate, LSU’s ID card is now voter ID compliant in the state thanks to House Bill 940 — a new law sponsored by state Rep. Randal Gaines, D-LaPlace that requires public universities to include head shots and signatures on student ID cards.
The bill, signed into law June 10, won’t officially take effect until January 1, 2019 but LSU has gotten an early start by including the new ID card elements on all cards issued to students this fall. The university has issued some 1,200 new voter-friendly ID cards to students so far.
According to the Advocate report, other Louisiana institutions are following suit.
Southern University officials have revealed that they too have plans to issue new student IDs during the 2017-18 academic year that will meet state voter ID requirements. Southern’s student IDs currently only include a photo.
The University of Louisiana-Lafayette also intends to comply with voter ID compliant student credentials by January 2019, though no such credentials have been issued yet.
The push for House Bill 940 was reportedly driven by a wave of interest from student activist groups across the state, with “Geaux Vote LSU” spearheading the movement.
