OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Just days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled absentee ballots in Oklahoma don't need to be notarized, the House on Wednesday passed a bill imposing new restrictions on voters who cast ballots by mail.
Under the bill, for the duration of the COVID-19 state of emergency, voters who wish to submit absentee ballots by mail will need to include a photocopy of their voter registration card or photo identification. Once the emergency declaration is over, absentee voters would then be required to have their ballots notarized by a notary public.
The bill passed 74-26, almost entirely along party lines with Democrats opposed.
"When you make things too easy, it invites fraud," said Rep. Chris Kannady, an Oklahoma City Republican who wrote the bill. "The worst thing you can do is fraudulently vote ... and this is the way we prevent that from happening."
Oklahoma is one of only three states to require mail-in absentee ballots to be notarized, said Democratic Leader Rep. Emily Virgin. She said many voters may not know where to find a notary. Even the requirement to include a photocopy of their identification could force vulnerable Oklahomans to leave their homes to find a copy machine, she said.
"I find it pretty ironic that we found a way to have representatives vote by proxy because of COVID, but we're not willing to trust the public to have sort of the same process in place when they vote in June and moving forward," said Virgin, D-Norman. "Voters shouldn't have to leave their house in order to exercise their right to vote."
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.
The Supreme Court issued its 6-3 ruling Monday in a case in which the League of Women Voters and two voters at high risk of contracting the coronavirus sued the State Election Board seeking to make it easier for residents to cast ballots by mail.
The court determined a statement signed, dated and made under the penalty of perjury by a voter is adequate for submitting an absentee ballot by mail.
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