Virginia election board to reconsider expired photo ID rule
LAW AND ORDER: Sen. Mark Obenshain, author of Virginia’s photo ID law, says the State Board of Elections should not accept expired IDs at polling places.
By Kenric Ward | Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau
RICHMOND, Va. — The State Board of Elections will reconsider a controversial rule that would allow voters to use expired photo IDs at the polls.
The move comes after a Watchdog.org report and a written complaint from state Sen. Mark Obenshain.
“I hope that at their next meeting, the State Board of Elections will reverse its decision and ensure that their regulatory guidance hews to the requirements of Virginia’s photo ID law, which enjoys the support of the overwhelming majority of voters,” said Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg.
The election board quietly adopted the expired-ID policy June 10, without public comment.
Obenshain, who wrote the photo ID law, said the board’s policy was in “seeming contravention of state law.”
The board voted Tuesday to consider alternative language, which will be distributed for public comment in the coming days.
Kenric Ward is a national correspondent for Watchdog.org and chief of its Virginia Bureau. Contact him at kenric@watchdogvirginia.org or at (571) 319-9824. @Kenricward
