House Refuses Senate Amendments to Voter ID Bill

Editor’s Note: For the latest updates on the final day of the legislative session, be sure to keep checking our live blog.

In the final day of the 2016 Legislative Session, the House of Delegates has refused to adopt the Senate’s amendments to House Bill 4013, the voter ID bill.

House Bill 4013 as approved in the House included a list of valid forms of identification beyond just photo IDs, but Senators worked to expand the list even further.

The Senate amended version of the bill allows a voter to use:

• A valid drivers license from West Virginia or any state
• A valid military ID
• A valid employer issued ID from any federal, state, county, or municipal subdivision
• A Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP, or TANF card or a birth certificate
• A voter registration card
• A hunting or fishing license or a concealed carry permit
• A utility bill, paycheck, health insurance card, or credit or debit card

The bill also allows an adult who has known the voter for more than 6 months to sign an affidavit certifying a voter’s identity. That person can be a poll worker.
As of 11:15 a.m. Saturday, there has been no announcement for a conference committee for the bill. If put into a conference committee, the bill will be debated between three members of the House and three members of Senate to decide upon a compromised version of the bill.