West Virginia voters navigate new law requiring photo IDs at polling places in primary election

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) 鈥� Presenting a utility bill as a valid form of identification has gone the way of the tavern polling place and the punch-card ballot.

State lawmakers tightened an existing voter identification law by requiring photo ID at the polls, with some exceptions. The law was used for the first time in Tuesday鈥檚 primary election, and officials said they鈥檝e seen very few glitches.

Voters for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and state legislature. They also will elect two new state Supreme Court justices.

Many voters took the change in stride, although some were concerned it could lead to voter suppression.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 harmful,鈥� said Tina Scala, a 60-year-old nurse from Cross Lanes. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 discriminatory, takes us back decades.鈥�

Proponents say the law will cut down on voter fraud and that a photo ID is already required for everyday tasks such as getting on an airplane or buying alcohol.

Scala said she doesn’t view illegal voting as a widespread issue.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to portray it as a good thing to get (after) voter fraud, which isn鈥檛 really happening,鈥� she said. “And what actually is going to happen is going to interfere with women鈥檚 ability to vote.鈥�

John Query, a 37-year-old brewery general manager and registered Democrat, brought his two stepsons to vote at a polling place near the state Capitol in Charleston, showing his ID in compliance with the new law.

鈥淚 understand it鈥檚 prohibitive to some,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 prefer it that way.鈥�

During the in-person early voting period that ended Saturday, Secretary of State Kris Warner said his office hadn鈥檛 heard of anyone who demanded to vote without a photo ID. He said the state had asked residents to use photo IDs for the past few elections, so 鈥渋t was not a big shock that it was now law.鈥�

鈥淭he whole point of the law is just making sure you are who you say you are,鈥� Warner said Monday.

In his statewide travels over the past two weeks, Warner said he was told of some instances where people returned to their vehicle to retrieve a photo ID after entering a polling place. Another voter used an exception to the law by filling out a form that was verified by a poll worker who has known them for at least six months. There also were exceptions for first-time voters.

Most states either for in-person voting at the polls.