The House is passing a bill requiring drivers’ licenses, permits and state IDs to indicate citizenship status.
Sioux Falls Rep. Kadyn Wittman opposes the bill because she said there are questions left unanswered.
“The House prime sponsor was unable to answer for me what documents would be accepted by the DMV and the Department of Public Safety to prove citizenship, who would actually be responsible for the verification of citizenship, how different IDs would be labeled depending on citizenship, and if it would be a different label for somebody whose here on a temporary work visa or somebody who was here and they have a visa for being a US citizen’s fiancée," Wittman said. "And so, [I had] just a lot of concerns with implementation and the actual ability for us to carry out this program."
Rep. Mary Fitzgerald is the bill’s prime sponsor. She said the purpose is to ensure non-citizens aren’t voting in South Dakota.
“Senate Bill 75 is an election integrity bill and serves as a step in the right direction," Fitzgerald said. "We want to make sure that we do have legal elections, and elections that we can have faith in and that we know that those are held legally."
Proponents also said it makes verifying citizenship easier for poll workers.
SB 75 passes the House floor 66-4 and now heads to the Governor’s desk for a signature.
