Governor Bill Haslam says some officials who’ve been criticizing Tennessee’s new voter ID requirement may not fully understand them. The governor’s comments come in the same week Illinois Senator Dick Durbin – a Democrat – questioned the new law.

The state is preparing to send letters to voters who may not have a proper photo ID, but Haslam says there’s been no talk of trying to track who gets turned away from the polls under the new law.

“Folks in the media will do a great job of letting us know about that, but seriously, there is a lot of misinformation out there. Remember, any government issued ID, even if it’s an expired driver’s license, any sort of government issued ID at all, with a photo on it, works.”

Student IDs – even from a state institution – are one exception.

Haslam’s reaction to Senator Dick Durbin’s letter questioning the voter ID law are not nearly as harsh as House Speaker Beth Harwell. In a statement, she says Durbin is trying to “trample on states’ rights” and that Tennessee is “doing just fine without Washington’s help.”

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Qualified ID’s listed in the legislation:

(1) A Tennessee driver license;
(2) A valid photo identification card issued by the state of Tennessee, any other state, or the United States;
(3) A valid photo identification license issued by the Tennessee department of safety;
(4) A valid United States passport;
(5) A valid employee photo identification card issued by the state of Tennessee, any other state, or the United States; or
(6) A valid United States military photo identification card.