INDIANAPOLIS, June 30 (UPI) -- Indiana's voter identification law, possibly the most stringent in the country, was upheld Wednesday by the state Supreme Court.
The justices voted 4-1 to reverse a unanimous appellate ruling, The Indianapolis Star reported. They found the law, which requires all voters to present a valid government-issued photo ID, does not violate the state constitution.
"It is within the power of the Legislature to require voters to identify themselves at the polls using a photo ID," Justice Brent Dickson said in the majority opinion.
The League of Women Voters argued that the law is unconstitutional because absentee voters who mail in their ballots and residents of state-licensed care facilities who vote where they live are exempt. Under the law, people without valid ID can cast provisional ballots that will only be counted if they present identification within 10 days.
The U.S. Supreme Court has already upheld the law. Erin Kelley, president of the League's Indianapolis chapter, said the next step might be action on behalf of plaintiffs who were denied the right to vote.
"This decision ... is a setback, not a defeat," she said. "We will continue to help those voters navigate the legal system to find redress."
