Clyburn says he is ‘always for voter ID’ after previously calling it ‘supression’

Democratic House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn said he has always supported voter ID despite previously calling voter ID measures “suppression.”

“When I first registered to vote as a 21-year-old – back then, 18-year-olds could not vote – I got a voter registration card, and I always present that voter registration card to vote. And that’s voter ID,” Clyburn said Sunday during an interview on CNN, according to Fox News. “We are always for voter ID. We are never for disproportionate voter ID.”

Clyburn has previously been against voter ID laws. In an Oct. 23, 2020 tweet, Clyburn said, “Long voting lines. Closed polling locations. Voter ID laws. They’re all voter suppression.”

Clyburn’s position on voter ID comes after Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s compromise proposal that would include voter ID provisions in the Democratic-led election reform measure, which has had trouble securing the needed Republican votes in the divided Senate.

Clyburn said he supports voter ID and wants more forms of identification to count when going to the polls, saying, “when you tell me that you got to have a photo ID and a photo for a student or activity card is not good, but for a hunting license it is good, that’s where the rub is.”