Committee approves removing student IDs from acceptable voter identification

The Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee voted 8-1 to pass House Bill 160, a bill that removes student identification cards issued by Wyoming public schools, community colleges and the University of Wyoming from the list of photo identifications acceptable at the polls.

Vice Chairman Tony Locke, presenting the bill, said the change is "very simple": it repeals student ID cards as acceptable voter identification because those cards lack the security features of government‑issued credentials and can be easily reproduced.

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray strongly supported the change. Gray cited security differences between student cards and motor‑vehicle credentials, saying student IDs are not required to contain a noncitizen designation and "do not have many of the advanced security features" of driver's licenses or passports. He also called attention to a University of Wyoming voter‑engagement event and said an accompanying post inaccurately described voter‑eligibility rules.

Clerks who oversee registration and polling operations urged caution. Mary Langford, representing county clerks, told the committee that student IDs may still be used in the state’s voter registration process when accompanied by a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number, but clerks reported that institutions do not administer student ID issuance uniformly and that names on some student IDs may be nicknames rather than legal names, complicating verification.

Students and civic advocates told the committee the change would disenfranchise some young voters. Sofia Gomalski, a University of Wyoming student, said the state has low voter turnout and that removing student IDs would send students a message that civic engagement is not valued. "This bill is a step in the wrong direction," she said. Recent graduates and student‑volunteers said they rely on student IDs in edge cases when they forget another form of identification.

Representative Johnson moved the bill; Representative Webb seconded. A roll call recorded eight ayes and one no (Representative Yin). The chair announced, "House Bill 160, voter identification revisions has passed the committee." Committee members discussed alternatives including adding security requirements to student IDs rather than removing them, but the committee acted on the draft before it.

Clerks and county election officials asked for better data from the state about which forms of ID voters use at the polls; Langford said most voters use Wyoming driver's licenses and that YDOT issues free state ID cards to help ensure access. The secretary and clerks noted that HAVA rules still allow some student IDs for registration when paired with other identifying information, but clerks said the on‑the‑ground administration of student IDs varies by institution.