JURIST - Paper Chase: Georgia Republicans push through revised voter ID bill

[JURIST] The Republican majority in the Georgia legislature has pushed through a revised voter ID bill [SB 84 text] which would require all voters to show either a driver's license, military ID or state-issued identification card with a photo prior to voting. Hailed by Democrats as a regurgitation of the disenfranchising poll tax and an attempt to effectively rig the November election for majority Republicans, final amendments to the bill sailed through the House Wednesday 111-60, receiving almost unanimous Republican support. House Minority Leader DuBose Porter has severely criticized the bill for its likely negative impact on the voter turnout of poor, elderly and minority communities which statistics show are less likely to have driver's licenses. The bill now awaits the signature of Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue [official profile], who has said he will approve the legislation quickly to allow counties to implement the necessary changes before the upcoming elections. A previous version of the bill was approved by the US Department of Justice [official website] but ultimately struck down by the federal courts [JURIST report] because the state charged a $35 fee for identification cards, which was ruled an unconstitutional poll tax. The new version waives that fee, but has yet to be approved by the DOJ, although it seems likely to approve the measure [JURIST report]. AP has more.

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