Arkansas legislators voted Monday night to override the veto of Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, and make it a law for voters to show photo ID before voting.
Both the state House and Senate are controlled by Republicans. The House voted 52-45 to override the veto, which had earlier passed in the state Senate by a margin of 21-12.
From the Associated Press:
While Arkansas poll workers must ask for identification under current law, voters don't have to show it to cast a ballot. Under the new law, voters who don't show photo identification can cast provisional ballots. Those ballots would be counted only if voters provide ID to county election officials or, before noon on the Monday following an election, sign an affidavit stating they are indigent or have a religious objection to being photographed.
Beebe had called the bill "an expensive solution in search of a problem," but accepted the override of his veto. "He made his case as to why he thought it wasn't going to be good for Arkansas, but they have the final say and they've had that say," Beebe's spokesman, Matt DeCample, told the AP following the vote.
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