Can voters use medical marijuana cards as ID? It seems so

Here’s what he said: 

Below is an excerpt of Amendment 51 § 13 of the Arkansas Constitution that may help with your question.

(a) If a voter presents himself or herself at a polling place on the date of an election but no record of his or her voter registration can be located by the judges of the election on the precinct voter registration list, the voter shall be permitted to vote only under the conditions set forth in § 7-5-306 or § 7-7-308.

(b)

(1)

(A) In order to determine that all who cast a ballot in an election, a runoff election, or a school election in this state are legally qualified to vote in that election, each voter shall verify his or her registration by:

(i) Presenting to the election official when appearing to vote in person either early or at the polls on election day in an election, a runoff election, or a school election verification of registration in the form of a document or identification card that:

(a) Shows the name of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued;

(b) Shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued;

(c) Is issued by the United States, the State of Arkansas, or an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the State of Arkansas; and

(d) If displaying an expiration date, is not expired or expired no more than four (4) years before the date of the election in which the voter seeks to vote

It seems the state constitution doesn’t state exactly which ID cards are accepted but, instead, describes the characteristics of acceptable cards. The cards must have a photo and an address and must have been issued by the state or federal government. 

Since medical marijuana cards are issued by the state, have a photo and have an address, it sounds like they might be acceptable.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA: Holly Dickson, executive director of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says medical marijuana cards might be acceptable as voting ID.

So we checked with Holly Dickson, executive director of the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. 

Here’s what she said: 

Arkansas law requires that the photo ID used for voting must:

Show the voter’s name and photo;

Be issued by the United States, State of Arkansas, or accredited postsecondary institution in Arkansas; and

If the identification has an expiration date, it must be current or have expired no more than 4 years before the election.

Documents that meet these requirements include a driver’s license, a photo identification card, a concealed carry handgun permit, a US Passport, a student ID or employee badge from an accredited institution, a military ID, a voter verification card, or a public assistance ID that shows a photo of the cardholder. Voter verification cards are available through the Secretary of State’s Office or the office of your county clerk free of charge to anyone who is registered to vote and does not have another valid form of identification.

So, the way you describe the cards indicates to me that yes, they could be used for required voter ID.