The Subcommittee on HB 2781 met today to discuss the proposed Voter ID bill.
House Bill 2781 would require a person desiring to vote to present documentation identifying the voter to one of the poll clerks. The valid IDs would include a West Virginia driver’s license, passport, employee ID card produced by the state or institutions of the state, and military ID card. Those failing to provide those forms of identification would be able to vote under a provisional ballot. Those living in a residential care home would be exempt along with those who have a religious objection to photography. The bill would also repeal the automatic voter registration program.
The subcommittee discussed the effectiveness of the provisional ballots today. Council said voters who go to the wrong precinct already fill out a provisional ballot, but under this new law, they can be told where their correct precinct is in order to fill out the correct ballot. When council was questioned about how many provisional ballots may be thrown out they said about 12 in 100. However, whether or not to count provisional ballots is up to the clerks of the county and all or none may also be counted. There is also a higher likelihood of a provisional ballot being thrown out if the person voted in the wrong precinct.
In the next committee meeting, they will be exploring how this bill could affect the Department of Motor Vehicles and the accessibility of photo IDs.
The subcommittee will meet again at 8 a.m. on Thursday, March 16, and hopes to have a recommendation at the end of that meeting.
