House OKs voter ID bill; Bishop, Cannon vote yea

WASHINGTON — Voters would need photo identification to prove they are citizens who can legally cast a ballot, based on a bill passed by the House Wednesday.

The House vote was 228-196 on The Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006, a day after a Georgia judge struck down a state law that also required government-issued photo identification.

The Senate still needs to act on the bill before it would become law.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, voted in favor of the bill while Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, voted against it.

The bill's supporters said the bill was to protect U.S. citizens' right to vote by eliminating the chance someone who is not a citizen would manage to get into the polls — diluting actual eligible ballot results. But opponents said the bill had the potential to disenfranchise millions of voters.

"Fraud does exist and it still occurs in election," said Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., a main sponsor of the bill. "We use photo ID all the time; we use photo IDs to get on governmental property."

He also pointed out photo IDs are needed to get on an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor and other routine actions.

Cannon said he supports the bill because it ensures the legality of the process and prevents voter intimidation according to his office.

During the floor debate, Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said voting for the bill would protect "the sacred right" of voting for U.S. citizens while Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va., said the possibility of non-citizens going to vote is on the rise as illegal immigrants continue to come into the country.

"Clearly the voting population is concerned with fraud," Capito said. "We want everyone to participate, to vote and to know that their votes count."

But the bill's critics said it would not protect the right to vote but instead make it harder for certain citizens to vote.

"Federal law already requires that you must be a U.S. citizen to vote and there are penalties for violations," Matheson said in a statement. "This bill threatens the voting ability of U.S. citizens, including Native Americans and senior citizens, who may not have the documents required to prove citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport."