Now that the Justice Department has approved Virginia's new controversial voter ID law, election officials are pushing to prepare voters for the law's impact amid criticism that it will suppress Democrat voters in a critical presidential election state.

The department approved a Republican-backed law this week that requires voters to cast a provisional ballot if they don't bring the proper identification to the polls. Previously, voters could sign a sworn statement confirming their identity, but now they'll have to come back to the polls or send in a copy of their ID for their vote to count.

Election officials are hoping to have voter identification cards in the hands of 4.7 million active voters by Sept. 21, spokesman Justin Riemer said, so eligible residents receive them by the Nov. 6 election. Voters should see the cards in their mailboxes by the fist week in October.

Part of that effort includes updating the voter rolls. The state sent out about 300,000 change of address inquiries, and many have come back undeliverable.

The state is also preparing literature so voters understand what's required of them when they show up to vote. Along with the voter ID card -- which is packaged in "the most eye-catching and official packaging possible so people don't throw it out," Riemer said -- is also a list of acceptable IDs and directions for what to bring on Election Day.

Other Republican-controlled states have put in place photo ID laws that have been the subject of far more controversy and more intense legal battles than Virginia's law. However, those laws have caused confusion here, too.

"You don't have to have a photo ID. That's one of the biggest misconceptions," Riemer said.

Democrats are still critical of Virginia's law, insisting it will negatively impact college students and low-income voters.

McDonnell said the law is "a practical and reasonable step to make our elections more secure while also ensuring access to the ballot box for all qualified voters."

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Editor's Note: If voting is a cherished constitutional right (and it is) then we should protect that right from nefarious forces. Those who advocate for unvetted voting are nefarious. To wit, when Progressive operatives cite the notion that there have been no recorded events of "voter fraud," the response should be that there have been myriad cases of voter registration fraud (read: ACORN and its off-shoots) and, therefore, a firewall is necessary.


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