Judge upholds ID requirement for voting

ATLANTA – A Fulton County judge this week upheld a state requirement that voters show a photo ID before casting a ballot.

The requirement “does not impose a new condition or qualification on the right to vote” in violation of the state’s Constitution, Superior Court Judge Tom Campbell said in his ruling handed down Monday. The Democratic Party of Georgia filed a challenge against the requirement.

“The denial of the Democratic Party of Georgia’s challenge to photo ID is a victory for the integrity of the state’s elections process,” Secretary of State Brian Kemp said in a news release. “Photo ID helps to ensure that every vote cast in person is not cancelled out due to voter fraud.”

Under the requirement, voters must show one of six acceptable forms of identification, such as a driver’s license or a passport. Voters who do not have one of those forms of identification can obtain a free ID card from the Georgia Department of Driver Services or their county registrars’ office.

Kemp said the requirement has withstood challenges in Fulton County Superior Court, U.S. District Court, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.