Yesterday brought word that the League of Women Voters challenge to Indiana's draconian voter identification law will be heard before our state's highest court in early March, presumably setting up a timeline that would allow a decision to be rendered well before November's elections -- and perhaps May's, as well?
Lesley Stedman Weidenbener gives a proper summary of the major developments thus far, including reaction to this most recent announcement:
Karen Kay Leonard, president of the League of Women Voters of Indiana, and Erin Kelley, president of the league's Indianapolis chapter, said in a joint statement Monday that they welcomed the Indiana Supreme Court's review.
"We are confident that after Indiana's highest court carefully examines the voters ID law, it will conclude that the burdens it imposes on otherwise qualified voters who vote in person are not justified by, or reasonably related to, its alleged purpose of preventing fraud," the statement said.
The league said the state's only recorded cases of voter fraud involve mail-in absentee ballots.
A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals agreed with the league's argument, ruling that the law violated the state constitution's "equal privileges and immunities clause" because it doesn't require mail-in voters to show a photo ID.
In other words, the law makes it more difficult for ordinary Hoosiers to vote while the only instances of voter fraud in this state presumably continue unabated. Oh, and the fact that the Republican-sponsored law disproportionately affects low-income and no-income voters is worth noting as well.
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