Hamilton County, Cleveland centers issue 165 photo ID's on first day of Saturday service

Saturday, November 5, 2011

photo People wait for the driver's license testing center on Bonny Oaks Drive to open. Staff File Photo.

On the first Saturday that some Tennessee driver license centers opened to provide free photo ID to voters, 165 people in Hamilton County and Cleveland, Tenn., got the new cards.

Altogether, 663 Tennesseeans got new photo ID cards Saturday, according to a Department of Safety spokeswoman.

Department of Safety District Supervisor Caroline Walker said the Bonny Oaks driver license center issued 76 photo ID's, the Red Bank location issued 52 and the Cleveland office 37.

"It's been highly advertised," Walker said at the Bonny Oaks office Saturday afternoon.

In the wake of a new state law requiring photo ID to vote, the state announced a plan to open the driver license centers on the first Saturday of the month through March to allow people to get the needed card.

See Sunday's Times Free Press for complete coverage.