Sen. Amber Hulse’s voter ID bills turn friends into enemies

Freshman lawmaker gets election 'loophole' bill to the floor

(Jonathan Ellis/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE – At the state Capitol, your friends one minute can be your enemies the next.

If she didn’t know it before, freshman Sen. Amber Hulse learned that lesson in the second week of her legislative career. The Hot Springs Republican sponsored two bills aimed at what she says are loopholes in residency requirements when people register to vote through driver’s license applications.

The first bill requires driver’s licenses and state identification cards to indicate if a person is a U.S. citizen. The goal of that bill is to make it easier for county auditors and election officials to clearly know if a person should be voting or not — non-citizens and non-residents are not permitted to vote.

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