House Passes Voter ID Reform

Legislation ensuring the integrity of Oklahoma’s electoral process by cracking down on voter fraud passed the House today.

House Bill 1037, by state Rep. Sue Tibbs, would require citizens to provide “proof of identify” before voting. Under the bill, proof of identify could be established by producing a document containing a photograph of the voter that was issued by a state, federal, county, municipal, or tribal government.

“In the last election cycle, turnout was higher than ever before, including in states that took this simple step to reduce fraud,” said Tibbs, R-Tulsa. “This bill in no way will prevent a single Oklahoman from voting, but will in fact improve the confidence voters have in the process.”

The legislation would allow a voter to sign a statement under oath swearing to his or her identity if the voter is unable to produce a photo ID. Anyone found to have signed the oath falsely would be subject to felony punishment.

“The foundation of our democracy depends on voters having confidence in our system,” said House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa. “This bill will protect the integrity of our process.”

In recent election cycles there have been reports of voter fraud in numerous states, prompting lawmakers to enact new reforms. For example, ACORN, a liberal activist group that has registered millions of voters across the country, has been embroiled in countless fraud allegations and was the subject of an FBI investigation.

Some ACORN employees were accused of submitting false voter registration forms – including some signed `Mickey Mouse' and several in Nevada listing Dallas Cowboys players’ names, though none of the players live in the state. Another Nevada ACORN worker was caught filling out voter registration forms using names and addresses copied out of the telephone book.

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a similar law in Indiana that required voters to show photo identification.

Earlier this year, former Federal Election Commissioner Hans von Spakovsky noted in the Wall Street Journal that Georgia and Indiana saw record numbers of Democrats vote last November, despite having some of the nation’s toughest voter ID laws.

"With every election that has occurred since states have begun to implement voter ID, the evidence is overwhelming that it does not depress the turnout of voters,” von Spakovsky said in the Journal. "Indeed, it may actually increase the public’s confidence that their votes will count.”

“The evidence is overwhelming that this change does not depress the turnout of voters,” said Tibbs. “The opposition to this bill is nothing more than a scare tactic. We are simply trying to protect this most precious right we have in our country; the right to vote in free elections.”

House Bill 1037 passed the House today with a vote of 59-39 and will now move to the Senate for consideration.