Voter ID laws still confusing to many students
08 August, 2012
category: Education
As the November election draws nearer, college students in some states still aren’t sure what kind of identification they’ll need to vote.
For example, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Indiana and Georgia are among states with voter ID requirements in place. So farm, Tennessee is the only state that bans use of any student ID. Others limit use to state institutions or require proof that the ID is valid, such as an expiration date.
Legal challenges in Wisconsin, Texas, South Carolina and Virginia have put the laws there on hold.
Pennsylvania enables student IDs to be used at the polls providing they have expiration dates. To meet that requirement, many schools are providing expiration date stickers that can be affixed to the student IDs.
Voter ID proponents say the laws are needed to combat voter fraud. The intent, they say, is to make sure people who are voting are who they say they are and have the right to vote.
“In this day and age, nothing could be more rational than requiring a photo ID when voters come to the polls,” Pennsylvania’s senior deputy attorney general, Patrick Cawley, said recently when defending the state’s new law in court.
Read more here.
