Summary:
Voter ID Laws Mike Pence Voted For In Congress.
| Year | Bill |
| 2002 | House Vote 462, 10/10/02; Congressional Quarterly, 10/10/02; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3295 |
| 2006 | House Vote 458, 9/20/06; Congressional Quarterly, 9/20/06; Deseret Morning News, 9/20/06* |
| 2006 | House Vote 459, 9/20/06; Congressional Quarterly, 9/20/06; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4844 |
*Pence voted against bill that would have suspended voter ID requirements
Pence: “Such Laws Do Not Diminish Voter Turnout At All. In Fact, There’s Some Evidence That They Increase Voter Turnout.” According to a transcript of a House Committee On The Judiciary, “And I am anxious to hear the testimony of our witness today about the department’s decision to file an amicus brief in the Supreme Court in the Indiana voter ID law. The reality is recent experience under Indiana’s voter ID law shows that such laws do not diminish voter turnout at all. In fact, there’s some evidence that they increase voter turnout. As was recently reported, voter turnout among Democrats improved slightly last year in Indiana despite a new law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. Jeffrey D. Milo, a professor at the University of Missouri compared the 2006 mid-term elections, the first since Indiana’s law was enacted, to the 2002 elections and said voter turnout increased about 2 percentage points. He said the increase was consistent across counties with the highest percentage of Democrats.” [Transcript – House Committee On The Judiciary, 2/27/08]
Pence: “Requiring Voters To Demonstrate Their Identity With A Photo Identification […]Builds On A Foundation Of Confidence In The System That I Believe Is Greatly In The Interest Of Our Democracy.” According to a transcript of a House Committee On The Judiciary, “But I must say that in my humble opinion that requiring voters to demonstrate their identity with a photo identification is the way we do at airports, the way many of us do when we’re engaging in financial transactions, I believe, actually encourages participation. It encourages voter confidence, and it builds on a foundation of confidence in the system that I believe is greatly in the interest of our democracy.” [Transcript – House Committee On The Judiciary, 2/27/08]
April 2008: Pence Praised The Supreme Court’s Decision To Uphold An Indiana Voter ID Law. According to a Mike Pence press release obtained via Congressional Press Releases, “U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, hailed the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court today to uphold an Indiana law that requires voters to present photo identification when they vote. Pence’s statement follows: ‘I commend the Supreme Court for its decision. The right to vote is a sacred privilege enshrined in the Constitution, and it must be protected. Today’s Supreme Court ruling does just that by allowing states to require photo identification at the polls on election day. As a model for freedom throughout the world, the United States must do everything it can to protect the right to vote, which is at the very heart of our democracy.’” [Congressional Press Releases, 4/28/08]
Associated Press: Indiana Was “Home Of The Country’s Most Restrictive Photo-Identification Voter Law.” According to the Associated Press, “There’s the poor, 32-year-old mother of seven who says it would cost her at least $50 to vote in person. There’s also the 92-year-old woman who’s voted for decades in the same polling place, but now can’t vote there because she let her driver’s license expire when her eyesight began to fail. These folks live in Indiana, home of the country’s most restrictive photo-identification voter law. The U.S. Supreme Court is now scrutinizing whether that statute violates the first and 14th amendments, in the most contentious legal battle over voting since the high court issued a bitterly divided decision eight years ago that stopped Florida’s recount and handed the presidency to George W. Bush.” [Associated Press, 1/23/08]
Pence: “In The State Of Indiana We Have Worked Hard To Accommodate And To Alleviate Any Hardship That A Photo Identification” Requires. According to a transcript of a House Committee On The Judiciary, “PENCE: Now, in the state of Indiana we have worked hard to accommodate and to alleviate any hardship that a photo identification - I’m sure you’re aware of our law, the brief the Justice Department has filed. Indiana has made provision for people who can’t afford to pay for a photo ID We’ve also given people who don’t have a photo ID a chance to file a provisional vote. And I think it’s a week to 10 days that they can then come back and present. And with regard to other states, do other states do as Indiana has done and provide those kind of accommodations to ensure that individuals are not disenfranchised?” [Transcript – House Committee On The Judiciary, 2/27/08]