Court Strikes Down Voter ID Law
By: Nadia Bashir
Updated: September 17, 2009
Today Indiana's second highest court struck down the state's voter identification law which requires voters to produce a photo ID at the polls. In League of Women Voters v. Rokita (Indiana's Secretary of State), the Court of Appeals of Indiana said the law violates Indiana's constitution.
Voter ID critics say the law creates classes of voters because poorer voters are unable to pay for birth certificates, passports or other forms of ID. They are often discouraged from voting.
The Director of the Allen County Board of Election, Beth Dlug, says provisional ballots are available for voters who do not bring their ID's. However critics say the ID requirement creates unfair obstacles to voting for certain classes.
The U.S. Supreme Court has said voter ID laws do not violate the Constitution. If the State appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court chooses to hear the case, it will have the final word on the law.
The next election in Allen County will not be until the spring.
