A bill requiring Wyoming voters to produce identification before casting a ballot is headed to Governor Mark Gordon after both houses of the Wyoming Legislature signed off on the bill on Thursday.

You can read House Bill 75 here.

The bill's primary sponsor was Rep. Chuck Gray [R-Natrona County]. The bill had a long list of co-sponsors that included a majority of the Wyoming Legislature.

Under the bill, accepted identification would include a driver's license from any U.S. state or territory, a Medicare or Medicaid insurance card, a tribal I.D., a U.S. passport or military card, or a school ID from the University of Wyoming, any Wyoming community college or public school.

The Senate passed the bill on third and final reading on Thursday by a 28-2 vote:

Ayes: ANDERSON, BALDWIN, BITEMAN, BONER, BOUCHARD, COOPER, DOCKSTADER, DRISKILL, ELLIS, FRENCH, FURPHY, GIERAU, HICKS, HUTCHINGS, JAMES, KINSKEY, KOLB, KOST, LANDEN, MCKEOWN, NETHERCOTT, PAPPAS, PERKINS, SALAZAR, SCHULER, SCOTT, STEINMETZ, WASSERBURGER
Nays: CASE, ROTHFUSS

The bill then had to go back to the House for a concurrence vote, because the Senate had amended the bill to include Medicaid Insurance cards as acceptable ID.

The House approved that version of the bill on a 51-8 concurrence vote. The measure will now go to Governor Mark Gordon who can choose to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.

Opponents of the bill have generally characterized the bill as a solution in search of a problem since even most supporters of the measure don't claim that voter fraud is a big problem in the state. Rep. Andi Clifford [D-Fremont County] argued in the Wyoming House earlier this session that it would tend to discourage voter turnout and amounts to voter suppression while not addressing any actual problem in the state

But supporters of the measure argue that while there may not be an extensive history of fraud in Wyoming elections, requiring identification is a good, common-sense step to take to guarantee free and fair elections.

 

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