Free state IDs will ensure all eligible voters have their voices heard

State Rep. Sarah Lightner this week voted to strengthen Michigan’s voter identification requirements and offer a more secure elections process that gives every voter confidence in the results.

Lightner, of Springport, said the plan she helped approve will reduce fraud and strengthen the integrity of Michigan’s elections while taking crucial steps to make sure every Michigander can exercise their right to vote.

“Every single voter who casts a ballot should be able to prove that they are who they say they are,” Lightner said. “This is a very simple concept that has broad support from most people in our community.”

Eighty percent of the public supports requiring identification to vote, according to this month’s Monmouth University poll. In 2018, the Pew Research Center found that 76 percent of Americans favored requiring everyone to show a government-issued photo ID to vote, versus only 23 percent who opposed it.

As approved today by the House, Senate Bills 303 and 304 would require everyone who votes in person on Election Day to present a photo ID to confirm their identity before their ballot is tabulated. Someone who shows up without proper identification will have an option to cast a provisional ballot that would be counted if they present their ID at their local clerk’s office within six days after the election.

The House also tied the measures to the approval of House Bill 5007, which would allow any citizen to obtain a state-issued photo ID card for free.

“Absolutely no one will be denied their right to vote simply because they cannot afford to get an ID,” Lightner said. “Not only will these reforms protect the vote, they will expand access to the documentation that residents need to complete everyday tasks.”

The bills now move to the Senate for further consideration.