By Olympia Meola
September 15, 2012

The Virginia State Board of Elections is preparing to mail about 4.7 million voter registration cards in the coming weeks, and has launched a half-million-dollar statewide outreach effort in the wake of new voter identification rules.

The registration cards are expected to hit mailboxes late next week through the first week in October.

Billboards and other efforts have rolled out as part of a $550,000 communications contract awarded in the run-up to the Nov. 6 presidential election.

The multipronged effort is an attempt by state election officials to educate voters before the election, and to meet specific directives made earlier this year by Gov. Bob McDonnell.

In May, McDonnell signed hotly contested legislation that requires voters without proper ID at the polls to cast a provisional ballot. The voter would have until noon on the Friday after the election to submit acceptable identification to the electoral board if they want their vote to be counted.

Previously, those who showed up at the polls without proper ID were allowed to vote normally after signing a document swearing they’re a registered voter.

The legislation also expands the forms of identification that voters can use at the polls, to include a student ID from a state college or university, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement or paycheck.

McDonnell approved the legislation — which opponents argued could make it more difficult for minorities and the elderly, among others, to vote — but he ordered the State Board of Elections to issue new voter registration cards and to launch a campaign to communicate the changes to Virginians.

The state board will soon send the new cards, at an estimated cost of $1.35 million, and has signed a contract with JMI Inc. for up to $550,000 to spread the word.

Both of the costs are being paid with state and federal dollars, according to the elections board.

Read the full story from Inside Nova here.