The Washington Post reports that other than for a handful of nuns and some college students from out-of-state, the state’s Voter ID requirement upheld by the Supreme Court in Crawford does not appear to have created a significant obstacles to prospective voters’ ability to cast ballots.
there were few other such incidents reported across the state, which has one of the strictest laws in the country, requiring voters to have a photo ID issued by the state or federal government. After the Supreme Court upheld the law by a 6-3 ruling last month, there was widespread speculation that the ruling could hurt Barack Obama in the primary, since he was counting on strong turnout among African American voters in inner city neighborhoods in Gary and Indianapolis where many residents lack drivers’ licenses. But Obama spokesman Bill Burton said this evening that the campaign had received only scattered complaints on the voter hotline it set up to deal with problems at the polls. He credited the campaign’s aggressive voter outreach effort to make sure supporters had the ID they would need. (Residents without driver’s licenses can obtain free picture IDs at department of motor vehicle branches.)
Bethany Derringer, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Secretary of State’s office, said the office also had not received many complaints on a hotline it set up for today’s vote. She said that should not come as a surprise, given that the state’s voters have had to contend with the strict law since 2005. “We’ve had nothing earth-shattering,” she said. “We’ve done extensive education on this.”