Voter ID Law Struck Down By Judge

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox struck down the state’s voter ID law – Act 595 of 2013 – late Thursday (April 24) declaring the controversial measure unconstitutional because it adds an additional requirement for voters to meet to cast their ballots.

“Act 595 of 2013 imposes requirements on qualified electors beyond the requirements constitutionally required to register to vote,” Fox wrote.

Fox’s ruling also declared the regulations set forth by the State Board of Election Commissioners related to the law “void and unenforceable.”

The lawsuit in the ruling centered around the way absentee ballots are reviewed if voters do not present a valid identification. Last week in a separate complaint, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and the Arkansas Public Law Center filed lawsuits on behalf of four individuals who said the law prohibiting them from exercising their fundamental right to vote.

The voter ID law was passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature in 2013 and went into effect on January 1, 2014.

Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, vetoed the measure citing the bill’s unconstitutional merits and expensive costs, which were estimated at $300,000. He also said at the time that the measure was “an expensive solution in search of a problem.”

The legislature overrode Beebe’s veto along partisan party lines. Republicans claim the voter ID law would curtail election day abuses, while Democrats contend the bill would discourage voter participation, particularly low income and minority voters.