Herseth opposes voter ID legislation

By Dennis Gale, Associated Press Writer | Friday, September 22, 2006

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SIOUX FALLS - The U.S. House on Wednesday passed legislation that would make Americans show proof of citizenship to vote, but Rep. Stephanie Herseth said it could hurt the elderly and American Indians. She also predicted that the bill won't get far in the Senate.

The measure, which passed 228-196 mostly along party lines, would require voters to present photo identification at polling places, starting in 2008. And in 2010, they would have to provide IDs proving that they are U.S. citizens.

Herseth, who said that South Dakota's Republican secretary of state, Chris Nelson, also opposed the bill, said some South Dakotans might not get to vote if the bill becomes law.

After the vote, the National Republican Congressional Committee said Herseth, a Democrat who voted against the bill, is against maintaining the integrity of federal elections.

"Rep. Herseth today rejected commonsense legislation that would help ensure that illegals are not influencing our political process by voting," Carl Forti of the NRCC said.

Bruce Whalen, Herseth's opponent in the November election, said that the bill is a positive step.

"This is a good law," he said. "We need to make sure who is voting."

Whalen, an American Indian who is chairman of the Shannon County Republican Party, said the bill, if it becomes law, would not affect American Indian turnout. Increasing Indian turnout in recent elections is proof of that, he said.

"I don't see that that's a problem in Indian Country at all," he said.

Herseth rebuked the Republican party's attacks.

"I think that the national Republican Party is way off base, that their actions were completely inconsistent with their stated philosophy of protecting states' rights, and it was, in my opinion, seeking to disenfranchise voters, especially in South Dakota, some of our older citizens and including our elders in Indian Country who may not have a birth certificate," she said Thursday.

In response to criticism that the requirements would be a burden for the poor, the bill says that states must provide identification free of charge to those who can't afford them.

Herseth, who called the bill an unfunded mandate, said the Senate has a lot to do before a scheduled adjournment in the next eight days, so she does not think the Senate will adopt the House version of the bill.

"So the Republican majority has just passed a law that will do absolutely nothing to protect the integrity of the federal elections in November of 2006," Herseth said.

Nelson had written Herseth earlier this week and said that the House measure would supersede states' authority to implement the level of voter identification needed to ensure the integrity of the election.

In contrast to the House measure, South Dakota's system allows the use of tribal photo IDs and student photo IDs, Nelson said. Also, voters without a photo ID at the polls can sign an affidavit swearing to their identity.

"Ours is a system which balances the need for election integrity with the goal of access by all legally eligible voters," Nelson said.