(Columbia, SC) – Today, by a vote of 74 to 45, the South Carolina House of Representatives again passed a bill (H. 3003) that will help prevent fraud and secure our state’s election process by incorporating the use of picture identification in voting. Modeled after Voter ID plans passed by other states and upheld as constitutional by our nation’s highest court, this bill employs technology used by people every day to secure our elections all while keeping voting simple, safe and easy for every citizen.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, “The heart of democracy is the right to vote. If we do not protect that voting right from fraud and abuse, we are not protecting the ideals of democracy. This bill will protect the voting rights of every citizen by making sure that every vote is cast securely and that every vote is counted.”

In 2008, Indiana’s requirement to show picture identification when voting was challenged and the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Voter ID was in fact Constitutional and did not place an undue burden on the voter. Just this past summer, President Obama’s Justice Department approved the pre-clearance Georgia needed to begin using its newly passed Voter ID law.

“A picture ID is required to do just about anything in our society, except to vote,” Speaker Harrell said. “Unlike most things in our society, our system of securing elections has not kept up with changing technology.”

This bill mirrors a similar plan that passed the House last session but failed to become law before the year’s legislative session ended.

Courtesy of The Office of the Speaker