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Friday, March 8, 2013

Arkansas Politics Voter ID may be stalled

Posted by Lindsey Millar on Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 4:37 PM

Arkansas legislators need to read Ernie Dumas closer. Two weeks ago, in a column for the Times, he explained that Sen. Bryan King's voter ID bill was unconstitutional.

SB 2 violates the Arkansas Constitution. Amendment 51, which outlawed the poll tax and established a system of permanent voter registration, prevents the legislature or a local government from adding new requirements for voting beyond the lengthy procedures in the amendment.

Michael Cook at Talk Business reports that House Speaker Davy Carter and a group of legislators met recently to discuss the constitutional issue.

He also reports that Rep. Jim Nickels will introduce a motion next week to send the bill back to the Senate since it passed that chamber without the supermajority needed to amend the constitution. If that happens, I can't imagine why one of the 12 Democrats who voted against it initially would change their vote. The Senate passed it 23-12, one vote short of a supermajority. But even if that somehow happened, it's hard to envision a scenario where enough Democrats would vote for it in the House for a supermajority.

Tags: voter ID, Bryan King, Jim Nickels

        
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Speaking of...

The terrible 10 of the 89th Arkansas General Assembly

May 9, 2013

They're the worst of the worst. /more/
UPDATE: Beebe vetoes partisan election oversight bills

April 23, 2013

by Max Brantley

Gov. Mike Beebe cleared his desk of pending legislation today, signing all but thyree bills by Sen. Bryan King to put more power over election oversight in the office of secretary of state, now held by Republican Mark Martin. /more/
Also overlooked: Partisan takeover of elections

April 19, 2013

by Max Brantley

Speaking of overlooked legislative items. Here's another topic lost day to day in the welter of stuff being generated by a new Republican majority anxious to rewrite every element of Arkansas government more in its image. /more/
Again with the double-dipping; thank a Republican

April 5, 2013

by Max Brantley

I've been surprised that the new Republican majority didn't take aim at public employee retirement benefits first thing. /more/
Republicans mount PR effort on Voter ID bill

April 4, 2013

by Max Brantley

The Arkansas Republican Party, having passed a Voter ID bill developed nationally to depress turnout among traditional Democratic constituencies, mounted a PR effort this morning to show that they really do care about people voting. /more/
Swine stampede

April 4, 2013

Though needed, it came tragically too late. Legislation to curb feral hogs was approved by the House of Representatives last week, but not before Senate Republicans had already overridden Governor Beebe's veto of a bill prohibiting voting without photo identification. /more/
House overrides Beebe veto of voter ID bill

April 1, 2013

by Max Brantley

At 2:20 p.m., the House is hearing arguments from Rep. Stephen Meeks to override Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of the bill to require a photo ID to vote in Arkansas. /more/
Speaker Carter gets touchy on senator's outburst

March 30, 2013

by Max Brantley

The Arkansas legislature faces a six-day week next week because of the need for extended meetings to complete action on pending business before the currently scheduled end of the session April 19. /more/
The Good God Friday Edition

March 29, 2013

by Lindsey Millar

Prop 8 and DOMA and the Arkansas General Assembly and Sen. Mark Pryor shameful responses where, the fight over voter ID, media criticism of the Democrat-Gazette, the morality of Republican tax cuts, Big River Steel, new numbers on expansion and the latest on the potential merger between UAMS and St. Vincent — all covered on this week's edition. /more/
Republicans don't want poor people to vote

March 29, 2013

by Max Brantley

When they say it (voter ID, whatever) isn't about race or poor people .... Check this out. /more/
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More by Lindsey Millar

Tom Cotton, statesman

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Highway 61 Blues Festival moves date closer to King Biscuit

The Highway 61 Blues Festival in Leland, Miss., usually held in early June, will be moved this year to Sept. 29.
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Arkansas Blog

Friday, March 8, 2013

Arkansas Politics Voter ID may be stalled

Posted by Lindsey Millar on Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 4:37 PM

Speaking of...

They're the worst of the worst. /more/

Gov. Mike Beebe cleared his desk of pending legislation today, signing all but thyree bills by Sen. Bryan King to put more power over election oversight in the office of secretary of state, now held by Republican Mark Martin. /more/

Speaking of overlooked legislative items. Here's another topic lost day to day in the welter of stuff being generated by a new Republican majority anxious to rewrite every element of Arkansas government more in its image. /more/

I've been surprised that the new Republican majority didn't take aim at public employee retirement benefits first thing. /more/

The Arkansas Republican Party, having passed a Voter ID bill developed nationally to depress turnout among traditional Democratic constituencies, mounted a PR effort this morning to show that they really do care about people voting. /more/

Though needed, it came tragically too late. Legislation to curb feral hogs was approved by the House of Representatives last week, but not before Senate Republicans had already overridden Governor Beebe's veto of a bill prohibiting voting without photo identification. /more/

At 2:20 p.m., the House is hearing arguments from Rep. Stephen Meeks to override Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of the bill to require a photo ID to vote in Arkansas. /more/

The Arkansas legislature faces a six-day week next week because of the need for extended meetings to complete action on pending business before the currently scheduled end of the session April 19. /more/

When they say it (voter ID, whatever) isn't about race or poor people .... Check this out. /more/

Comments (10)

More by Lindsey Millar

He's celebrating the death of Hugo Chavez.

Tonight, the LRSD Board voted 6-1 to hire Dr. Dexter Suggs Sr., currently chief of staff for Indianapolis public schools, as its next superintendent.

Readers also liked…

"Backwards and in High Heels," the new bio-doc about former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, will get a pre-release sneak peek at the Athena Film Festival in New York City on Feb. 10.

The Highway 61 Blues Festival in Leland, Miss., usually held in early June, will be moved this year to Sept. 29.

People who saved…

Event Calendar

Re: Friday finish — An oldie but goodie for legislature? A rebuttal for Tom Cotton

Re: Friday finish — An oldie but goodie for legislature? A rebuttal for Tom Cotton

Re: Partisan justice: Court candidate Wood gets tout from GOP's Curtis Coleman

Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen, injured in a bicycle accident last week near his home, sent me an update this morning from his iPad.

Remember Jon Hubbard, the former Republican legislator from Jonesboro whose views proved too extreme for voters in 2012, though not for the Republican Party of Arkansas?

I've written here and in last week's column about the lingering taste of partisanship in supposedly non-partisan Arkansas judicial races, as exhibited recently by Court of Appeals Judge Rhonda Wood, who's expected to run for the Arkansas Supreme Court next year.

PS — It's a bogus quote. PPS — Nate Bell defends Hitler citation.

Public for the first time, the woman who married Damien Echols discusses their relationship

For the vegetarian banh mi sandwich.

Our news partner Channel 4 has a news story that deserves repetition in full. More national headlines for the small people of Arkansas should follow directly.

Perhaps U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin might want to reconsider his earlier decision not to include Republican Rep. Loy Mauch on the list of Republican candidates he'd asked not to use his campaign contributions, having read some of what they'd written.