LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Changes could be coming for what is considered an acceptable form of ID at Kentucky polls on election day.
When it comes to voting in Kentucky, college students currently have options like utilizing absentee ballots or traveling home early to vote.
"I know a lot of my friends wanted to vote by mail which is really easy for them," said Tate Luckey, a University of Louisville senior.
"I find a weekend I'm free and I go back and do early voting in Daviess County," said Tom Kurtz, a freshman at University of Louisville.
Out-of-state college students can register to vote in Kentucky. Current law allows a college ID as an acceptable form of identification at the polls.
Republican Senator Adrienne Southworth wants to change that, proposing Senate Bill 80. It would remove college IDs as a primary form, but the IDs would still qualify under the secondary form of ID.
"There are other ways to try and get your identity confirmed, so it certainly shouldn't be the first thing we go to," Southworth said.
Southworth argues college IDs aren't government issued, so it doesn't require the same verification process to receive a college ID as a state or federal issued ID.
"As people are becoming more and more aware of potential election loopholes this is something we need to do," Southworth said.
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, disagrees with Senate Bill 80.
"The purpose of photo ID is to prove who you are, and college IDs have been adequate for that," Adams said. "We've seen no fraud, zero fraud with someone pretending to be someone they're not with a college ID."
Adams backed a Republican sponsored bill in 2020 that required a photo ID be presented at the polls.
"What I don't want to see is something that's been working just great, that's upheld court review three times we've been sued, and then weakening that law going into a presidential election," Adams said.
Adams also worries the proposal alienates young voters. He thinks they are the target audience that could help the Republican party in the future.
"It is really important if we ever want to win the governorship as a party we don't shoot ourselves in the foot and pick on college students," Adams said.
Senate Bill 80 would also remove credit or debit cards as a second-form of ID at polls. The bill passed in committee last week to advance to the senate floor.
To view Senate Bill 80:
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Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
