Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has just vetoed a Voter ID law sent to his desk, claiming it would provide another obstacle for people to vote:
WVXU – Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed the voter ID bill that passed out of the legislature last month.
The bill would have required Kentucky voters to show an ID before casting a ballot, or else show a social security card or credit card and sign an affidavit promising they are who they claim to be.
It would have also created a way for people to get an ID for free at their local county clerk’s office.
In his veto message, Beshear said that the law would create an obstacle for Kentuckians trying to vote, especially during the coronavirus pandemic when offices that provide ID cards are closed to in-person traffic.
It’s not an obstacle to have your ID with you. That’s just garbage excuses made by Democrats who want the ability to cheat in elections.
But it may not be over yet. Republicans have 29 out of the 38 seats in the State Senate and 61 out of 100 seats in the State House, which is far more than they need to force the bill into law because Kentucky only requires a simple majority to override a veto:
The legislature will have a chance to override Beshear’s veto when they reconvene on April 14th and 15th. It takes a simple majority of votes in each legislative chamber–51 out of 100 members in the House, 20 out of 38 members in the Senate–to override a veto.
If ultimately passed into law, the voter ID policy would go into effect for Kentucky’s November general election, when voters will weigh in on races for the presidency, U.S. Senate, Congress and most seats in the state legislature.
The bill initially passed both the State House and Senate by wide margins:
The bill won House passage on a 62-35 vote. It returns to the GOP-led Senate, which previously passed it 29-9 and now will consider whether to accept changes made by the House.
I expect they won’t have any problems overriding the veto. But then the new law will probably end up tied up in litigation and who knows whether it will even be in effect in November.
As a side note, how does a Democratic get elected over an incumbent Republican Governor when Republicans dominate the state legislature?