Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Legislation that would enact new voter ID requirements for federal elections is now headed to the U.S. Senate. Thirteen House Democrats joined Republicans on Wednesday to pass it.

Congressman Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) says it’s something an overwhelming number of Americans believe is needed.

“We already saw in Michigan, too many non-citizens voting in our last election. It’s something that our own Democrat Secretary of State revealed in her own internal audit,” Barrett said in a videotaped message. “The House has done its job to deliver on photo ID to vote and banning members of Congress from trading stocks. This bill now goes to the Senate, and I hope and I expect it will go to President Trump’s desk as well. The American people are watching. Let’s get it done.”

The new voter ID requirements are included in the Stop Insider Trading Act, a bill Barrett helped introduce in January as part of his Blueprint for a Better America: Restoring Trust in Government.

It would ban members of Congress, their spouses and children from purchasing publicly traded stocks.

“I didn’t trade stocks before coming to Congress and I still don’t now. Like many of you, I’m really fed up watching federal elected officials cash in on the stock market, while ordinary families in Michigan are struggling to make ends meet,” said Barrett.

According to Barrett’s office, both provisions of the Stop Insider Trading Act have overwhelming support, with 84% of Americans in favor of the voter ID requirements and 86% of Americans in favor of banning individual stock trading by members of Congress.

Specifically, the Stop Insider Trading Act will prevent conflicts of interest by:

• Banning each member of Congress, his or her spouse, and his or her dependent children from purchasing publicly traded stocks;

• Requiring members to file a public notice at least seven days, but no more than 14 days, in advance of each intended sale of stocks they already own; and

• Requiring the House and Senate Ethics Committees to penalize members who break the law with a fee equal to $2,000 or 10% of the value of the stock, whichever is greater, as well as any net gain realized from the sale.

The bill will also strengthen election security in federal elections by:

• Requiring all voters to present photo identification when voting at the polls; a voter who forgot to bring ID to the polling place could cast a provisional ballot, which would be counted if a voter presents ID within three days;

• Requiring all absentee voters to submit a copy of their photo ID, the last four digits of their Social Security number, or a notarized attestation that the ballot was cast by the specific voter; and

• Allowing access to printers at government offices so absentee voters can copy their photo ID free of charge.

Critics of the bill say that voter ID will make it “unnecessarily difficult” for many to vote in elections. Democrat Representative Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement earlier this year: “Republican extremists are determined to make it harder for people to vote so they can desperately cling to power,” calling the Voter ID Act “an unlawful power grab by a failing President designed to bolster the do-nothing Republican Congress.”