Democratic lawmakers say voter ID law was rushed

Two Democratic state representatives testified in federal court Thursday that the voter identification law passed in 2018 was rushed through the General Assembly by Republicans.

The law was passed in the wake of the 2018 election when voters approved an amendment to the state constitution requiring photo identification to vote.

Republicans still held a veto-proof supermajority at the time but were about to lose it after Democrats picked up seats in the November election.

Representatives Robert Reives and Marcia Morey both testified that the session felt hurried, lacked the usual debate, and ended with a law that had little bipartisan support.

Voter ID has been in place since the fall. Morey said she saw student primary voters turned away when they tried to use digital college IDs, and others leave when they were told by campaign workers about the requirement.

David Thompson, an attorney representing the lawmakers, hammered away at the fact that registered voters could obtain a free ID from their county elections office.

Morey said she worries about the impact of the voter ID requirement in the November election, when turnout will be much higher.