By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
With a new Senate bill on the table and the House Oversight Committee looking to make changes to election procedures in Rhode Island, it may be possible that the state’s newly implemented voter ID law will soon be yesterday’s news.
Rhode Island passed the voter identification law in 2011, and 2012 marked the first election year when non-photo ID’s were required of all voters. Come 2014, photo ID’s will be required for Rhode Islanders to cast their votes, an issue that’s been a point of contention for voters and legislators alike.
Thirty states currently have some sort of voter ID law, though most do not require photo identification; though for some states, like Rhode Island, that could change in the next few years.
But freshman Senator Gayle Goldin (D-Providence) is hopeful a bill she’s introduced will erase the voter ID law from the books altogether. Goldin takes over long-time representative Rhoda Perry’s seat in District 3 and represents a chunk of the East Side of Providence. Goldin said she many constituent complaints about the voter ID law during her campaign in the fall.
“My district [is] people who really believe in creating an equitable society and making sure the decisions we make statewide continue to respect and create that equitable society,” said Goldin.
At a community event Monday night Goldin elicited a round of applause from constituents when she talked about her voter ID repeal bill.
“It’s a fundamental issue,” she said. “It truly upset people to think we made a decision that affected people ability to vote.”
House Speaker Gordon Fox, who co-sponsored Rep. Jon Brien’s voter ID bill in 2011, is now closely monitoring feedback from the House Oversight Committee, which is currently holding hearings about the problems at the polls in November. House Communications Director, Larry Berman, said it’s possible that Fox would consider revising the voter ID law if it was seen as a major issue at the polls. Berman said Fox and other legislators will introduce legislation to address any major issues that presented themselves in last year’s elections.
Berman said Fox is looking at the provision that calls for a switch to photo ID in 2014; it’s possible, he said, that legislation could be introduced to keep the 2012 (non-photo ID) requirements in place instead.
Still, a full repeal like Goldin’s doesn’t look like it’s completely palatable to Fox now.
Goldin said she doesn’t understand why a voter ID law would be on the books when national studies have shown that voter fraud is not a widespread issue. She referenced a study in Ohio that found only 4 cases of voter fraud out of 9 million ballots cast.
Goldin said low-income Americans and senior citizens are more likely to be negatively impacted by the voter ID law. Goldin said ID’s can be expensive – both due to the upfront cost and the expense of travelling to the Secretary of State’s office or DMV to obtain one. For seniors who may not drive, having a photo ID is not always necessary – except to vote.
“There are certainly people elderly members of my district affected by this,” said Goldin, who said a study showed that seniors are less likely to have photo ID’s.
Goldin said it’s an unfair disadvantage for seniors who have spent their whole lives voting.
“It’s created a significant impediment to the cornerstone of our democracy,” said Goldin.
Goldin’s co-sponsors on the bill are senators Josh Miller, William Conley and Stephen Archambault. The bill passed 54-21 in the House and 32-2 (two abstained) in the Senate. Goldin’s co-sponsor, Miller, and successor, Perry, were the two that voted “nay.”
Goldin said she expects a similar version of her bill to be submitted in the House. She said no who contests her bill has spoken to her directly.
Goldin said until all 700,000 eligible voters in Rhode Island come out to the polls, legislators should be worried about how to make the process “as easy as possible.”
She said the state has already invested in the disbursement of state-issued voter IDs, but feels like that money would be better spent in other areas.
“Hire more staff…buy more machines,” she said.
The next meeting of the House Oversight Committee will be held tonight, Thursday, Feb. 28 , concurrent with the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing of Goldin’s bill.
