Democratic lawmakers seek student IDs for voting

Democratic lawmakers in the North Dakota Legislature have introduced a bill allowing the state’s college students to use a university-issued identification to vote.

House Bill 1479 would require colleges and universities to provide students with an identification card that could be scanned by a polling clerk to access their address in the state's central voter file, but IDs issued to students younger than 18 years old or noncitizens must appear "significantly" different. The bill was scheduled to have its first hearing Thursday.

The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Matt Eidson, D-Grand Forks, said he heard about “pretty widespread” student voting issues during the 2018 campaign. The state has been locked in a yearslong legal battle over its voter ID laws, a fight that drew national attention last year over its effects on Native Americans.

Student leaders have said frequent changes ordered by the courts and the Legislature have caused confusion. Republicans who hold a supermajority in the state Legislature have defended the state's voter ID law as a way to prevent fraud, while Democrats have criticized the statute.

Read more: https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/democratic-lawmakers-seek-student-ids-for-voting/article_a2393c95-cf65-5bd2-bee0-9b0c52e828b7.html