College students in Idaho Friday sued the Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane in his official capacity to overturn House Bill 124, which removes student ID cards as a valid form of voter identification at polling locations from the Idaho Code. The case is in the US District Court for the District of Idaho.

The complaint alleges that the new law is intended to make it harder for young voters to vote, violating the 26th Amendment of the US Constitution. The amendment states, “The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.” The complaint accuses the Idaho legislature of suppressing youth political engagement in response to “rising political engagement by young Idahoans.”

Additionally, the complaint asserts that there have been “no documented problems with voter fraud involving student identification” since Idaho began accepting student IDs as valid voter identification several years ago. Lastly, the complaint asks the court to issue a declaratory judgment that House Bill 124 is unconstitutional and an injunction requiring poll workers to accept student IDs as valid voter identification. 

Idaho Senator Scott Herdon sponsored the bill. When discussing the bill, Herdon described it as an “election integrity issue” and that the public has a “compelling interest” in election integrity.

Idaho Governor Brad Little Friday signed House Bill 124 into law. The law removes student identification cards as a form of valid voter identification in the Idaho Code Section 34-1113. One plaintiff in the case is March For Our Lives Idaho. March For Our Lives is a youth-led movement in Idaho dedicated to “promoting civic engagement, education, and direct action by youth to eliminate the epidemic of gun violence.”