LITTLE ROCK — An Arkansas judge has again found the state's new voter ID law to be unconstitutional but says he will not block the state from enforcing it in the upcoming primary.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox on Friday ruled that the law requiring voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot violates the Arkansas Constitution. But Fox stayed his order, saying he did not believe there is enough time to block the state from enforcing the law with early voting in the primary to begin on Monday.
Fox struck down the law in a separate case last week, but the state Supreme Court stayed that ruling while it considers an appeal of the decision.
Attorneys for the state Board of Election Commissioners and the Pulaski County Election Commission filed briefs with the state Supreme Court on Friday in the appeal of Fox's earlier ruling.
The attorney general's office, representing the state board, said the law protects the integrity of the ballot. The Pulaski County Election Commission said Fox was correct in saying the law adds a new requirement for voters.