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Iowa begins mailing paper cards as part of new voter ID law

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December 4th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s top elections official says his office is beginning to mail paper identification cards as part of a new law requiring voters to show ID at the polls. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says Monday that 123,000 registered voters will be sent the non-photo ID cards automatically. The Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature passed legislation last spring requiring voters to show acceptable identification at the polls, arguing it’ll maintain election integrity. There’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Iowa.

Acceptable identification will be an Iowa driver’s license, a non-driver’s ID from Iowa, a U.S. passport, military identification or veterans ID. The state provides the paper ID cards to certain registered voters. The identification requirement goes into effect in 2019, though voters without acceptable ID in 2018 must sign an oath acknowledging they will need it soon. In 2019, those voters will be offered a provisional ballot.