Dianne Hamilton
State Rep. Dianne Hamilton is standing by her recent column published on this site in which she claimed that two same-day voter registration bills would have allowed people to register without providing some form of photo ID or another document such as a utility bill.
Here’s Hamilton’s full statement:
“My comments regarding same day voter registration are correct.
“I sought a legal opinion regarding HB 123 and SB 161 before releasing statements to the press. Bill analysts and the House Minority Office agreed with my interpretation of HB 123 and SB 161. Because Subsection A in both bills ends with the word ‘or,’ it legally binds itself to Subsection B, which requires no identification at all.
“Both bills were killed in committee. HB 123 was tabled in the House Voters and Elections Committee after a meaningful discussion about the wording, which appeared troublesome to experienced lawmakers.”
Hamilton’s response comes after I wrote a posting pointing out that the wording of the proposed legislation – House Bill 123 and Senate Bill 161 – states that it would allow same-day registration during early voting, but only if people present a photo ID, utility bill, bank statement or other document.
Both bills have been tabled this session.