Post by CMF Newsman on Jan 2, 2012 8:42:41 GMT -5
Tennesseans will be required to have photo identification in order to vote and state employers will have to make sure their employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S. under new laws that take effect January 1.
The photo ID measure has stirred debate, with critics saying the requirements to comply with the law are excessive and confusing, and could actually deter people from voting.
"You have to have a specific government issued ID in order to vote, and that will disenfranchise a certain number of Tennesseans who don't have that kind of specific ID," said Mary Mancini, executive director of Tennessee Citizen Action, a public interest and consumer advocacy organization.
The group has launched a petition drive that supports proposed legislation to repeal the law. About a week ago, the Justice Department rejected a similar law in South Carolina, saying it makes it harder for minorities to cast ballots. It was the first voter ID law to be refused by the federal agency in nearly 20 years.
Read more: www.wrcbtv.com/story/16428220/photo-id-anti-immigration-measures-among-new-laws
The photo ID measure has stirred debate, with critics saying the requirements to comply with the law are excessive and confusing, and could actually deter people from voting.
"You have to have a specific government issued ID in order to vote, and that will disenfranchise a certain number of Tennesseans who don't have that kind of specific ID," said Mary Mancini, executive director of Tennessee Citizen Action, a public interest and consumer advocacy organization.
The group has launched a petition drive that supports proposed legislation to repeal the law. About a week ago, the Justice Department rejected a similar law in South Carolina, saying it makes it harder for minorities to cast ballots. It was the first voter ID law to be refused by the federal agency in nearly 20 years.
Read more: www.wrcbtv.com/story/16428220/photo-id-anti-immigration-measures-among-new-laws
