Wyoming Lawmakers May Consider Voter ID Requirement Again

A  Wyoming legislative committee has agreed to start the process of considering a bill requiring Wyoming voters to show a photo ID before voting.

A similar bill, House Bill 192, was defeated in the state House by two votes earlier this year. But the Legislature's Corporations, Elections, and Political Subdivisions Committee on Monday voted unanimously to start work on a draft bill along the same lines.

That's according to Rep. Chuck Gray [R-Natrona County], who sponsored HB 192.

Supporters of such legislation often argue that it helps prevent voter fraud, and that it is no more of an inconvenience than presenting an ID to buy alcohol.

Opponents of HB192 in the Wyoming Legislature earlier this year argued that such legislation isn't needed in Wyoming because there have been virtually no known cases of voter fraud here. They also said that in most rural Wyoming precincts, photo ID isn't needed because election officials already know who voters are without having to see identification.

National opponents of voter ID laws argue that they are a racist attempt to suppress minority voter turnout, which usually tends to favor Democrats.

House Bill 192 was specifically amended to say that tribal ID cards for members of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe tribes in Wyoming would be deemed as acceptable forms of identification for Wyoming voters.

Since the new bill has not yet been drafted, its exacting wording is not known.