Gov. Ivey signs bills to tighten voter ID, expand immigrant biometric collection

Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday signed Senate Bill 158, which is “designed to strengthen Alabama law against illegal immigrants and other noncitizen voting, and Senate Bill 63, requiring law enforcement to collect and submit fingerprints and DNA samples from illegal immigrants already in custody,” Ivey’s office said.

“Alabama is taking steps to protect our communities from impacts on public safety and the integrity of our elections,” Ivey said. “These bills will do just that by closing a loophole in state law concerning voter ID while also further enhancing law enforcement’s ability to effectively identify illegal immigrants with criminal records.”

SB158, introduced by Sen. Will Barfoot, prohibits the use of foreign national driver’s licenses as a form of photo identification for voting in Alabama. Previously, Alabama law did not directly exclude these licenses as a valid form of photo identification for voting in the state.

SB63, introduced by Sen. Lance Bell, requires law enforcement to collect and submit fingerprints and DNA from illegal immigrants already in custody to speed up the process of biometric data collection.

Both bills passed the Legislature with bipartisan support.