Reply #14: That is the old list of requirements,

[Cookie wookie]

pre 2006 Voter ID law.

The Secretary of State has just posted the old ones to her website as well. (http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/elections/voter_information/ )

The new Voter ID requirements, which I printed off from that same SOS web page, bottom of the page were:

Ga drivers license
Georgia Voter Identification Card (photo)
valid US passport
Valid employee identification card (had to be from some branch of government)
Military ID
Tribal ID card (which was being debated)

That's it with an exception for first time voters who registered by mail. I talked to the Director of the Elections Division, Kathy Rogers, on Tuesday to clarify it for myself. She said there is a conflict between HAVA reqs and the new GA voter ID law. To solve it, first time voters who registered by mail actually have a lower requirement for ID than all other voters. For this first time voting, they don't have to have a photo ID, but can present a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, or government paycheck or other government document that shows the name and address of the elector. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/cgi-bin/gl_codes_detail.pl?code=21-2-417

If they don't have the required photo ID, they can vote on a provisional ballot and have 2 days to come up with the required photo ID. According to the Secretary of State, 675,000 registered voters in Georgia do not have current drivers' licenses or other government photo IDs listed in the DDSs database.

The state contracted with a company to go to all the counties to provide the Georgia Voter ID Card free of charge for voters. But then they have to get to the county office and present other ID to get the card. The contract with the vendor is for 50,000 and the vendors (and Republicans on the State board of Elections) say they expect it to take 3 years for that number to be used. Not sure how that math works: 675,000 vs 50,000.

We were looking at a train wreck for the primaries and general election, so glad there is a reprieve. The problem (other than questions about Constitutionality) is that there hasn't been time for people to get those Georgia Voter ID cards made, or even to adequately communicate to the public and particularly to the demographic who doesn't have photo ID, what is needed and how to get the ID. Some people at a recent board of Elections meeting said they were unable to get the GA Voter ID card because they were told they needed a birth certificate. That supposedly is not supposed to be a requirement.

Hope this ruling stands through the general election in November.

The Board of Elections even fought with the Secretary of State and Elections Division about mailing a brochure with information on the new ID targeted to that 675,000 (and won since the Republicans dominate that board 3 to 2), so this week they contracted with Clear to do radio announcements. They didn't do any research to see if the demographic that needs to be reached listens to Clear Radio Channels....but my guess is NOT.