Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Wednesday he will sign a bill into law that requires a photo ID for a provisional ballot, according to a report from KATV. HB1112 also eliminates signature verification of provisional ballots.
The bill passed last week through the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, said he introduced the bill because he’s worried about the integrity of the election process in Arkansas.
“I have consistently supported a voter identification requirement as long as there is state assistance for anyone who does not have personal identification,” Hutchinson said.
But it is very important that anyone who does not have an ID is given one free of charge by the state, he said.
The new law will need to be monitored, he said, to ensure that voters are receiving proper assistance in obtaining an ID. If they are not, Hutchinson said Wednesday, Arkansas’ General Assembly will need to change the law.
Lawmakers opposed to the legislation argued that 2020 election about 2,700 provisional ballots with sworn signatures were tabulated, and there was not a single instance of voter fraud with those ballots. But Lowery said it took weeks in some cases to count provisional ballots and election workers dont have the training to verify signatures.
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