Bill Summary for Bill Number HB12-1111

Date: 02/22/2012

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB12-1111

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Moved to refer House Bill 12-1111 to the Committee	PASS

04:20 PM -- House Bill 12-1111

Representatives Szabo and Summers, prime sponsors, presented House Bill 12-1111, concerning the definition of identification for voting-related purposes. Representative Szabo explained the effect of the bill, and discussed its merits.

04:22 PM

The following persons testified regarding House Bill 12-1111:

04:23 PM -- Ms. Nancy Doty, Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Doty explained how requiring voter identification will increase voting integrity and public confidence in elections. Ms. Doty responded to questions regarding how many voters in Arapahoe County verify their voting eligibility through certain methods. Ms. Doty responded to further questions regarding the number of instances of fraudulent voting in Arapahoe County, and the number of voters involved in a typical election in the county.

04:29 PM -- Ms. Barbara Fallon, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Fallon discussed difficulties experienced by election judges in verifying the eligibility of voters, and discussed the potential for voter fraud to occur. Ms. Fallon responded to questions regarding the number of inaccurate voter registrations nationwide.

04:31 PM -- Mr. Dennis Valentine, representing the American Association of Retired Persons, testified in opposition to House Bill 12-1111. Mr. Valentine suggested that there is no need for the legislation, explaining that voter impersonation does not widely occur. He discussed the rate at which seniors do not possess photo identification, and responded to questions regarding the data he cited. He discussed difficulties faced by certain populations in obtaining photo identification. Discussion ensued regarding the prevalence of voter fraud. Mr. Valentine responded to questions regarding the potential position of his organization on the bill if photo identification were provided to certain populations for free or at a low cost.

04:41 PM

Discussion returned to the data cited by Mr. Valentine about the number of seniors who do not possess photo identification.

04:43 PM -- Mr. Scott Gessler, Secretary of State, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Gessler explained the benefits of requiring photo identification to prevent voter fraud, and discussed evidence of voter fraud both in Colorado and nationwide. Mr. Gessler discussed the voter turnout in certain states after they passed photo identification requirements, and addressed the data cited earlier by Mr. Valentine.

04:53 PM

Mr. Gessler discussed public support for requiring photo identification for voting purposes. Mr. Gessler responded to questions regarding the potential for assisting certain populations in obtaining photo identification.

04:57 PM -- Mr. Wayne Williams, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder, testified in support of House Bill 12-1111. Mr. Williams explained the ease with which people can obtain photo identification from the government, and discussed the common usage of such identification. He discussed the types of identification currently allowed for voting purposes that may permit voter fraud. He also discussed other jurisdictions that have adopted photo identification requirements for voting, and the importance of requiring this type of identification. Mr. Williams responded to questions regarding the level of scrutiny applied to ballots by his office in order to prevent voter fraud.

05:08 PM

Mr. Williams responded to questions regarding the rate of voting by mail that took place in El Paso County during recent elections. Mr. Williams responded to questions regarding the position of the Colorado County Clerks Association on the bill, and the impact of increased mail balloting on the ability to use photo identification to prevent voter fraud.

05:16 PM -- Ms. Jean Nofles, representing the American Association of Retired Persons, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Nofles discussed the importance of the voting franchise, and explained how the bill presents barriers to voting. She discussed the rate of voter fraud.

05:20 PM -- Mr. Levi Martinez, representing himself, testified in support of House Bill 12-1111. Mr. Martinez explained how the bill's provisions protect the voting process, and how increasing population density has led to impersonalization, resulting in the need to better verify voter identity. He suggested that showing photo identification is not an inconvenience, and discussed the need for protecting the voting process from fraud.

05:29 PM

The committee recessed.

05:31 PM

The committee returned to order.

05:31 PM -- Ms. Mimi Bell, representing the Colorado Hispanic Republicans, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Bell discussed voter registration fraud during recent elections, and the frequency with which photo identification is required. She rebutted the idea that showing photo identification is intimidating and discriminatory. She discussed the ease with which individuals may obtain photo identification. Ms. Bell responded to questions regarding her organization, and the instances she cited pertaining to voter registration fraud. Discussion ensued regarding the effect of the bill on access to the polls by certain populations, and the types of voter verification excluded by the bill.

05:42 PM -- Ms. Betty Jean Beall, representing herself, testified in support of House Bill 12-1111. She discussed the prevalence of the use of photo identification when engaging in transactions, and identification requirements in other countries. Ms. Beall discussed apparent voter fraud as a poll watcher. Discussion ensued regarding the ease with which a person may obtain a driver's license.

05:52 PM -- Mr. John Stoffel, representing the Senior Lobby and the Colorado Alliance for Retired Americans, testified in opposition to the bill. Mr. Stoffel explained why many older Americans do not possess photo identification, and discussed difficulties he experienced in obtaining a passport. He also discussed the difficulties that the elderly face in accessing transportation, which compounds difficulties in obtaining photo identification.

05:56 PM -- Ms. Kelly Maher, representing herself, testified in support of House Bill 12-1111. She explained how she used a utility bill to obtain a mail ballot during a past election, and discussed the erosion of faith in the election system due to lack of voter verification. Ms. Maher discussed narrow margins of victory in recent elections.

06:00 PM -- Mr. Johnny Kroll, representing the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, testified in opposition to the bill. He read a column from the Minnesota Post about the supporters and opponents of requiring photo identification.

06:03 PM -- Mr. George Walker, representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill. He discussed the history of the use of photo identification, and the potential for the bill to discourage voting, in violation of the "one person, one vote" principle. He suggested that certain populations need protection.

06:08 PM -- Ms. Carol Tone, representing the League of Women Voters, testified in opposition to House Bill 12-1111. She expressed opposition to creating barriers to voting, and discussed the difficulties in obtaining photo identification.

06:10 PM -- Ms. Linda Olson, representing Colorado Legal Services clients, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Olson explained why some populations are unable to easily obtain photo identification, and discussed costs associated with obtaining it. She provided anecdotal examples about difficulties in obtaining such identification. She discussed one of the types of verification nullified by the bill. Ms. Olson responded to questions regarding certain populations that her organization serves that it is unable to assist. Discussion ensued regarding persons who lose their identification in domestic violence situations.

06:21 PM -- Ms. Elena Nunez, representing Colorado Common Cause, testified in opposition to House Bill 12-1111. Committee members received a handout expressing opposition to the bill (Attachment H). Ms. Nunez opposed creating barriers to voting. She discussed the fiscal impact of the bill, based on costs incurred by other states that have enacted photo voter identification legislation. Ms. Nunez discussed the prevalence of voter fraud, and difficulties that some populations experience in obtaining photo identification.

06:25 PM -- Ms. Faith Gross, representing the Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People, testified in opposition to the bill. She suggested that the intent of the bill is not to disenfranchise voters, but that its unintended consequence would be to do so. Ms. Gross discussed a provision in the bill that allows use of a Medicare or Medicaid card by those in assisted living facilities for voting purposes. Ms. Gross recounted the difficulties that a certain individual experienced in obtaining photo identification.

06:31 PM -- Ms. Celia Reyes-Martinez, representing Mi Familia Vota, testified in opposition to House Bill 12-1111. Ms. Reyes-Martinez expressed concern that the bill would eliminate naturalization documents as a form of identification for voting purposes.

06:34 PM -- Ms. Margarita Gomez, representing 9 to 5 National Association of Working Women, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Gomez spoke in opposition to creating barriers to voting, and discussed the burdens associated with obtaining photo identification. She discussed the difficulties experienced by one of her organization's constituents in obtaining identification.

06:37 PM -- Ms. Hillary Jorgensen, representing herself, testified in opposition to House Bill 12-1111. She discussed her difficulties in obtaining state-issued photo identification.

06:40 PM -- Ms. Denise Maes, representing the ACLU of Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Maes discussed the importance of the vote franchise, and cited the lack of voter fraud in the United States. Ms. Maes contrasted the use of photo identification for voting with its use for other purposes, and discussed rulings at the federal level concerning voter identification laws.

06:46 PM -- Mr. Gene Bruhn, representing himself, testified in support of House Bill 12-1111. Mr. Bruhn discussed current requirements for registering to vote, and addressed the prevalence of voting fraud. He provided an anecdote about a foreign national being offered the opportunity to register to vote, and discussed his experiences as a poll watcher.

06:53 PM -- Ms. Pauline Olvera, representing the Colorado Hispanic Republicans and the Denver Republican Party, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Olvera discussed voter identification laws in other nations, and the importance of attempting to prevent voter fraud. She discussed the element of personal responsibility in satisfying voting requirements, and the prevalence of voter fraud in the United States.

07:01 PM -- Ms. Sue Johnson, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Johnson discussed the ability to assist those who are unable to obtain photo identification while protecting the voting process.

07:04 PM

No amendments were offered to the bill. Representatives Summers and Szabo provided closing remarks in support of House Bill 12-1111. Discussion ensued regarding increased voter participation in states that have enacted photo identification laws for voting purposes. Various committee members expressed their positions on the bill, and discussed issues associated with the bill.


BILL:	HB12-1111
TIME:	07:14:34 PM
MOVED:	Nikkel
MOTION:	Moved to refer House Bill 12-1111 to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a vote of 5-4.
SECONDED:	Baumgardner
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Casso	No
	Court	No
	Duran	No
	Nikkel	Yes
	Todd	No
	Waller	Yes
	Coram	Yes
	Kerr J.	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

07:16 PM

The committee adjourned.