MONTGOMERY, Ala.--
Secretary of State Beth Chapman is thanking the Alabama Legislature for
passing a bill to require voters to show a form of photo identification when
voting. House Bill 19 was passed by the
Senate by a vote of 22 to 10 and was sponsored by Representative Kerry Rich and
carried in the Senate by Senator Gerald Allen.
“This is a great victory in the fight against voter
fraud,” said Chapman. “Every vote is
sacred. This legislation will go a long way in protecting the rights of our
great democracy. Representative Rich and
Senator Allen are to be commended for the hard work they have done to protect
Alabama voters with this important legislation.”
Chapman has pushed for similar photo identification
legislation in the past and even highlighted the need for it in her
inauguration speech earlier this year.
“In the next four years, my staff and I will strive to stop absentee
voter fraud, create harsher penalties for those who dare commit it, and require
photo identification at the polls,” Chapman said in her speech in January. “If a photo ID is required to rent a movie,
then it should be required to participate in one of the greatest freedoms on
earth—the right to vote.”
“Photo ID is just one step in the process and there is
much left to be done,” said Chapman. “We
will continue our fight to make sure every vote is counted and provide the most
honest elections possible.”
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