Smith Criticizes Voter ID Measure
September 20, 2006
U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) issued the following statement on H.R. 4484, the Republican Voter ID bill, which the House of Representatives will vote on today:
“Congress should remove barriers between citizens and the polls, not erect new ones,” Smith said. “This legislation will needlessly prevent many married women, minorities, Katrina victims, low-income people, rural residents and elderly citizens from voting. These people are less likely to have the kind of identification this bill would require and would therefore be prevented from casting a ballot.
“We cannot disenfranchise people under the guise of making sure they are eligible to vote. If this bill becomes law, many otherwise eligible voters will be denied their most basic constitutional right.”