Federal Appeals Court Upholds Virginia Voter ID Law

UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 22: Voters line up at a temporary voting location in a trailer in the Arroyo Market Square shopping center in Las Vegas on the first day of early voting in Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. (... UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 22: Voters line up at a temporary voting location in a trailer in the Arroyo Market Square shopping center in Las Vegas on the first day of early voting in Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a Virginia law requiring voters to show photo identification.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected a challenge from Democrats, who argued that the law suppresses voting by blacks, Latinos and young people.

The same court recently struck down a North Carolina law that required voters to produce a photo ID.

Virginians can obtain free photo IDs at voter registrar offices, but Democrats say few people know about that option because the state has done little to spread the word.

Emily Bolton, spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of Virginia, says the party is disappointed and is determining its next steps in the litigation.

A spokesman for the Virginia Department of Elections couldn’t immediately be reached.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  1. There are SO many places within this country that I will not visit,

    purchase anything from, support in ANY way financially ----

    I’m going to be rich I tell ya … RICH ! —

  2. Avatar for drf5n drf5n says:

    One of the VA valid IDs (http://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/in-person-voting/) is:

    “Employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter and
    issued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the
    employer’s business.”

    I thought it odd that someone with their own company could print their own ID, and there wouldn’t be any real way to check its validity.

    When I voted I tried using my work ID. I got some pushback when the poll worker asked for a drivers license instead, but I insisted that the rules said it was OK. She futzed around a bit and looked it up and approved it, but she treated it as an unusual occurrence–she hadn’t seen one used that day.

    My ID didn’t have an address, just my photo, name, and the logo and name of my employer.

    This particular opening in the law makes it pretty easy for someone to print their own photo ID. A business owner could easily print an ID for their aged plant-watering aunt, and my daughter could print out an ID for her lemonade stand business, and both IDs should be accepted as a photo ID.

    I don’t think the state has put the word out about this embarrassingly insecure means of obtaining ID.

  3. Don’t worry …

    If there’s a way to further restrict " those people " from voting …

    They will —

  4. Well it just so happens I registered a new LLC in Virginia today: “Boidster’s Voter Fraud Control Systems”. We control voter fraud, so you don’t have to.

    We are currently hiring. Send e-mail with picture and we’ll send you your new company ID!

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