Charles Warner|Daily Times Union County Elections Director Darlene Pettit has a camera to take the photos of local residents who request a voter registration photo ID card. State law requires voters to present one of five types of government-issued photo identification when they go the polls. The law will be the subject of a public information session conducted at the Voter Registrar's Office Monday afternoon.

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UNION COUNTY — The second of two public information sessions on the new 2013 Photo ID Law will be held Monday at the Union County Voter Registrar’s Office.

In October, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved a state law requiring South Carolina voters to present a government-issued identification photo in order to vote. The requirement took effect January 1 and since then South Carolina voters who go to the polls will have to present one of the following five photo IDs:

• S.C. Driver’s License

• DMV-issued ID card

• Federal Military ID

• U.S. Passport

• A Voter Registration Card with photo

Since November, Union County residents can get their voter registration card and accompanying photo at the Voter Registrar’s Office which has a camera set up to take their picture. Both the paper card that the Voter Registrar’s Office can issue and the more permanent version issued by the state are free.

Union County Elections Director Darlene Pettit said Wednesday that six people have been issued voter photo identification cards by her office since the requirement took effect. The Voter Registrar’s Office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To provide Union County residents with information and to answer any questions they might have about the new photo identification requirement, the Voter Registrar’s Office scheduled two public information sessions. The first was held January 28 and the second will be held Monday at 4 p.m. on the second floor of the Voter Registration Building at 320 E. Main St., Union. Like the session in January, Monday’s session is expected to last 1 to 1 1/2 hours and Pettit encouraged the public to attend.

“We’re having and election sooner than we expected with the city election in April. These regulations will be in effect for that election. We want to eliminate any confusion on election day.”

A special election will be held April 23 for the District 3 Union City Council seat left vacant by the death of councilman Keith Henderson.

For more information about the 2013 Photo ID Law, Monday’s information session or other election-related matters contact the Union County Voter Registrar’s Office at 864-429-1616 or at dpettit@countyofunion.com.

Editor Charles Warner can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 14, or by email at cwarner@civitasmedia.com.