ProgressVA Education Fund objects to the proposal to limit "valid" IDs for the purposes of voting to unexpired IDs. As many registrars noted before the regulations were adopted, as long as the voter reasonably resembles the ID, the purpose of the law has been fulfilled.

Not all IDs acceptable for voting under the current law contain an expiration date, including many college student IDs, state employee photo ID badges, and even the voter Photo ID cards provided by the Board free of charge. If “valid” is construed to mean, “unexpired”, how are officers of election supposed to determine whether an otherwise acceptable ID without an expiration date is current? The Board of Elections is tasked with ensuring “uniformity” in the practice and proceedings of elections. If some IDs for the purposes of voting are required to be unexpired, while others are not, it provides an inconsistent application of the law.

Constantly changing requirements are a recipe for voter confusion. Changing the rules months after the law went into effect and Virginians began learning how to comply with the new ID requirement only creates more confusion and increases the likelihood some eligible voters won't know what they need to vote or will decline to participate in our democracy altogether.

Please vote to reject the proposed amendment to limit "valid" voter IDs to unexpired IDs and move forward with educating Virginia voters about the changes in the new law.