BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Supreme Court listened to arguments last week concerning a lawsuit filed by The League of Women Voters of Idaho and BABE Vote against HB 124 and HB 340, which bans the use of student IDs as identification at the polls and for same-day voter registration.
The lawsuit asserts the new law violates the Idaho state constitution’s clauses guaranteeing equal protection of the laws and the fundamental right to vote. Before the passage of this bill, Idaho voters were allowed to use passports, driver’s licenses, tribal IDs, student IDs, or a concealed weapons license to prove their identity when voting.
The state of Idaho says the two laws give the legislature the authority and duty to provide secure and free elections.
Former Idaho Attorney General David Leroy added some clarification. “The idea of residency is somewhat objective. If you’re temporarily in town but permanently reside in California you’re not a resident of Idaho, therefore not entitled to vote; on the other hand, if you’re here paying in-state tuition, you may well indeed be an Idaho resident regardless of where your driver’s license is from.”
Leroy has a problem with the optics of removing student ID as an acceptable identification for voting. He says, "Sometimes legislation is criticized as a solution, looking for a problem. As to student IDs, this seems precisely that."
Idaho News 6 will have much more on this lawsuit next week. The Idaho Supreme Court will render its decision sometime after the first of the year.
