Democrats Help Pass College ID Voter Law in Senate

The district of Sen. Bill Ketron is home to MTSU, the second largest public university in the state. Photo credit policymic

Despite some opposition from his own party yesterday, a Murfreesboro Republican won passage of a measure that would make college IDs sufficient forms of voter identification.

Two years ago, when the state’s voter ID law first passed, Senator Bill Ketron was against including college IDs. Now, he’s reversed his position in response to concerns from MTSU.

Some of his Republican colleagues haven’t changed their minds.

Stacey Campfield of Knoxville – home to the state’s largest public university – still argues college IDs are too easy to get, and don’t require that someone is a U.S. citizen.

Democrat Jim Kyle came to Ketron’s defense saying college students still have to go through a voter registration process.

“A college student from a foreign country can get a college ID, but that doesn’t mean they can register to vote.”

Several Democrats voted in favor of easing the state’s voter ID law, though Kyle did not. That’s because the bill also prohibits the use of IDs issued by local governments, such as a library card. A state supreme court should rule soon on whether library cards are a valid form of voter ID.

Ketron’s bill now moves to the state House.