Virginia Governor McDonnell Signs Voter ID Bill & Challenges Obama Justice Department

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) today issued the following statement concerning the voter identification legislation signed by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell:

“Governor McDonnell’s signature of this voter ID bill is a step in the right direction for the Commonwealth of Virginia and sends a message that the integrity of each and every vote matters,” said Michael Thielen, executive director of the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA). “The RNLA applauds Governor McDonnell for his leadership and support for election reform.”

In addition to signing the voter ID bill, Governor McDonnell signed an executive order.

Thielen added, “The executive order goes above and beyond addressing the concerns of opponents of voter ID, even though it has the support of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Even liberal Democrats in Rhode Island and former President Jimmy Carter support measures such as this. Should the Obama Department of Justice attack this common sense law much like it has in South Carolina and Texas, it would remove any doubt that Attorney General Eric Holder is anything but an ideologue bent on opposing election reforms irrespective of the law.”

The order does the following:

• Send every Virginia voter an identification card before Election Day;
• Engage in a voter outreach campaign between now and the November general election to educate voters about the changes to Virginia’s voter identification requirements; and
• Inform general registrars and electoral boards that they may contact individuals voting provisionally without an ID about the need to provide one.

For more information on this new law or voter ID generally, check the RNLA blog at https://rnla.org/Blogs/blogs/public/default.aspx