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Beshear Vetoes Senate Bill 2 Requiring ID to Vote

Beshear Vetoes Senate Bill 2 Requiring ID to Vote
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By The Associated Press/West Kentucky Star Staff
Apr. 03, 2020 | FRANKFORT
By The Associated Press/West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 03, 2020 | 10:45 PM | FRANKFORT
Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed a bill pushed by Republican lawmakers to require Kentucky residents to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote.

The Democratic governor said Friday that Senate Bill 2 would create an obstacle to voting.

"First of all, I'd be against this bill even if the coronavirus wasn't here. I want to be transparent about that." Beshear said, "I think more people should vote, and I was the attorney general for four years and we never had one case of someone trying to impersonate another because they didn't have a photo ID. It just doesn't happen."

The measure passed the state Senate and House by wide margins. The legislature is scheduled to reconvene April 13, when they would typically consider overriding any vetoes. Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams urged lawmakers to do just that, saying he hopes, "the Governor will eventually join me in governing from the center."

Beshear said because of the pandemic, places where people would currently go to get a photo ID are closed to in-person traffic. He acknowledged that, if signed, this bill wouldn't go into effect until after the primary election, but said he still doesn't agree with it. 

Beshear said, "The fact that somebody would need something to vote that right now they absolutely can't get because of the coronavirus, I think is a wrong move and absolutely needed to be vetoed."

Beshear said he and Adams are currently considering holding the rescheduled June 23 primary election by mail-in ballot, since leaders are worried that a spike in COVID-19 cases could occur. He added that requiring an ID would present even more problems under this scenario.


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