Voter ID proposal rejected along party lines

SPRINGFIELD -- An attempt to require Illinois voters to show identification before casting a ballot was rejected Thursday by Democratic lawmakers.

The proposal would have required an official ID in order to get a ballot. Those who didn't comply could cast provisional votes that would be counted so long as the voter could produce an ID within 10 days.

State Rep. David Reis, a downstate Willow Hill Republican, modeled the Illinois proposal after an Indiana law recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Supporters said in a day and age in which ID is required with so many daily activities, it's not out of line to add voting to the list.

"We have to prove who we are to get in this building," state Rep. Tim Schmitz, a Batavia Republican, said of working in the Capitol. "At some point we have to take responsibility for who we are."

But a laundry list of politically influential groups ranging from teachers unions to government ethics watchdogs opposed the ID requirement.

William McNary, co-director of Citizen Action/Illinois, said officials should not bemoan the lack of participation in elections and then erect hurdles for voters. He and others said Illinois should be looking to make it easier for people to vote rather than harder.

All Democrats on the House Elections and Campaign Reform Committee voted against the ID requirement. Republicans supported it, so it was rejected 4-5.