Senate Republicans wasted no time passing one of their highest priority bills of the 2020 legislative session on Thursday, easily approving a bill requiring Kentuckians to show government-issued photo identification in order to vote.

Senate Bill 2 passed the full chamber by a 29-9 vote, with only Republicans voting for the legislation. The straight party-line vote resembled its passage in a Senate committee a day earlier, when all eight Republicans voted for the bill and all three Democrats voted against.

Kentucky law currently allows eligible voters to cast a ballot if they present identification, but does not require such identification to include their photograph.

Though touted by supporters as a means to increase public confidence in the election process and to prevent voter fraud through impersonation, critics of the legislation say it would create unnecessary barriers to voting and point to the lack of any cases of in-person voter fraud through impersonation in Kentucky.

The legislation was amended in committee on Wednesday in response to critics, now allowing eligible voters without a photo ID to cast a regular ballot or absentee ballot if they sign an affidavit. The bill also allows those without a driver's license to obtain a free photo identification card at their county clerk's office.

Update:Kentucky legislature: Photo ID bill advances but draws threat of legal challenge

Earlier:Bill requiring photo ID to vote advances through Senate committee

In response to a question from Sen. Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, SB 2 sponsor Sen. Robby Mills, R-Henderson, said he did not know of any documented cases of in-person voter fraud in Kentucky, but believed his legislation would increase the public's "confidence" that fraud did not occur.

Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington, said he was concerned about remaining obstacles to voting for those without an ID, suggesting it amounted to "voter suppression."

This description of the bill drew mockery from Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, who said his surveys of constituents always found a photo ID bill to be near the top of their legislative wish list.

"Voter suppression? Give me a break," Schickel said. "Whatever happened to just a very, very little bit of personal responsibility?"

Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said there was no evidence that SB 2 would suppress anyone's vote. He also suggested that in-person voter fraud was common in Kentucky, just not documented because it is hard to detect.

"We hear every election, all over the state, various reports of voter fraud," Thayer said. "One of the issues is prosecutors never choose to go after it."

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Republican Senate President Robert Stivers added: "Just because it's not reported doesn't mean it didn't happen."

Calling the bill a solution in search of a nonexistent problem, Sen. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, noted that issuing free photo ID cards after passing similar legislation cost North Carolina $20 million and Indiana $10 million.

"I can think of $10 million that could be better spent in Kentucky when we have zero instances of in-person voter fraud today," McGarvey said.

Neal said he hoped the House would make additional corrections to the bill if it passes that chamber, which would require it to be sent back to the Senate in that form.

House Speaker David Osborne said Thursday he wasn’t sure when the House might take up SB 2 but said it was clearly a “centerpiece” of Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams’ campaign and important to the voters who elected him.

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Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com or 502-582-4472 and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courierjournal.com/subscribe.