U.S. House to debate national voter ID bill today

This is from an electionline.org alert:

According to reports in The Hill and elsewhere, the U.S. House of Representatives will debate H.R. 4844
, the “Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006” sponsored by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL). The bill was reported out of the House Administration Committee on a party-line vote last week.

The Congressional Research Service summarizes the bill thus:

Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require any individual who desires to register or re-register to vote in an election for federal office to provide the appropriate state election official with proof that the individual is a U.S. citizen. Requires proof of citizenship in states without a registration requirement and states permitting same day registration.

Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit the appropriate state or local election official from: (1) providing a ballot for an election for federal office to an individual who desires to vote in person unless the individual presents to the official a current and valid photo ID; or (2) accepting any ballot of an individual voting by mail without a copy of a current photo ID.

According the rule (H. Res. 1015 ) adopted yesterday, debate on the bill will consist of a) one hour on the bill itself and b) up to one hour on a motion to recommit (i.e., to send the bill back to committee with or without instructions) – both equally divided between the majority and minority. A vote on the bill will then follow.

There wasa also an informative story in the Los Angeles Times on the House bill this morning, that had some interesting statistics on voter fraud in it.

Seems like a great opportunity to remind readers of the upcoming VTP conference on voter registration and identification: the conference agenda is nearing completion, and the cast of participants promises to provide a lively and interesting discussion of both these important topics.