Des Moines, Iowa — A photo ID is “the least effective way” to confirm a voter’s true identity according to a county auditor who met with legislators in Des Moines Thursday.
Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott says the embedded “bar code” on a driver’s license is the best option.
That bar code can be scanned and Parrott says information will pop up on a computer screen so poll workers can quiz the would-be voter about details that would confirm the voter’s identity. Parrott points out that some licenses may have a 10-year-old photo if the voter renewed their driver’s license online.
About 150-thousand Iowa voters do not have a driver’s license. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is asking legislators to adopt new voter verification methods and Pate’s suggesting he’ll issue voter ID cards to that group of Iowans. Parrott says those cards should include that secure bar code for scanning and confirming a person’s identity. Parrott says a person’s signature on their voter registration could be a “useful” means of verification, but it will create “a terrible burden” for the state’s nine-thousand poll workers.
Parrott and three other county auditors testified before the Iowa House State Government Committee on Thursday afternoon.
O’Brien County Auditor Barb Rohwer has been following the new from that committee, and says she agrees with Parrott’s assessment. She says bar codes are the most reliable means of verifying one’s identity. She says the signatures would create a backlog at the polls, since it would take longer to verify a signature….especially since the poll workers aren’t trained in handwriting analysis.
