By Todd Hatton
Murray, KY – The state Safety Department has issued photo IDs to nearly 2,400 people who will need them to vote under a new state law. Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons said in a release Monday that there has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking photo IDs in recent weeks. He urged voters without photo identification to obtain one from the department without charge. The state estimates that about 126,000 registered voters in Tennessee could be affected by the law that goes into effect Jan. 1 because their government-issued IDs don't have pictures on them. But officials stress that polling places will also accept expired driver's licenses as well as a large number of other federal- or state-issued photo IDs, ranging from Veterans Administration cards to handgun carry permits.