MONTGOMERY - - Secretary of State Beth Chapman has been a long-time advocate of military voting rights and Photo Voter I.D. Chapman will be instrumental in offering legislation as a solution to both issues in the upcoming legislative session.
Chapman and her staff have created legislation which utilizes the success the State of Florida recently experienced in a nationally-renowned electronic military voting pilot program. The Military and Overseas Voting Task Force, which Chapman chairs, will meet on Thursday of this week to discuss and finalize that legislation. The legislation that the Secretary of State and her staff propose also combined successful legislation of both the State of Georgia and Indiana which have already passed Photo Voter I.D. laws.
In a recent Associated Press article, the point was made that members of the Alabama State Legislature believe Photo Voter I.D. would deter some citizens from voting. Chapman’s bill would solve that problem in that photo identification cards would be provided free of charge to anyone who does not already possess a valid form of photo identification.
“In the world we live in, everyone needs a photo I.D. for reasons of safety and security,” Chapman said. “There is no doubt that laws to require photo I.D. at the polls would assist us in our ongoing efforts to stop any possibility of voter fraud and to protect the integrity of the elections process.”
Chapman continues to be a leading national advocate for electronic military voting and chairs the Military and Overseas Voting Task Force which is preparing to present such legislation after months of meetings, presentations and studies. “We must ensure that men and women of the United States Military who are fighting for our right to vote are given theirs,” Chapman said. “Anything short of that would be un-American.”