WASHINGTON (Reuters):

The Supreme Court said yesterday it would rule on whether United States voters must show a government-issued photo identification at the polls, a divisive issue ahead of next year's national elections.

The justices said they would review a U.S. appeals court ruling that upheld an Indiana law considered the most restrictive in the nation requiring voters to present a photo ID issued by the state or federal government, such as a driver's licence or a passport.

The 2005 law, which applies to both primary and general elections, has been challenged by lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Indiana Democratic Party for imposing an unfair burden on the right to vote, especially on the elderly, poor, disabled or homeless.

Voter fraud

Indiana was one of a number of states to enact such laws in the wake of voter fraud allegations in Florida and elsewhere during the closely fought 2000 elections.

Before 2002, few states had voter identification require-ments and no state required photo identification. Now, 26 states have some form of a voter identification law, and six states require photo identification at the time of voting.

The only exception to the proof-of-identification requirement in Indiana is if the person lived in a state-licensed facility, such as a nursing home, and voted there.

MAY DETER DEMOCRATS

The Indiana law was one of 17 cases the Supreme Court agreed to decide during its upcoming term that begins on October 1. The justices met on Monday to review some 2,000 appeals that piled up during its three-month summer recess and selected the 17 cases to decide.

Attorneys challenging the Indiana law urged the Supreme Court to resolve the law's constitutionality, calling it an issue of great national importance ahead of the 2008 presidential and congressional elections.