Advocates for homeless people in British Columbia say amendments to the province's voting laws will restrict the ability of the homeless and low-income residents to vote.

But B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal is taking a different view, saying the laws are outdated and need strengthening.

As a result, the provincial government is planning to enact legislation, known as Bill 42, that will soon require voters to present identification listing a fixed address.

Under the amendment, when voters do not have proper ID, they must find someone to "vouch" for them. A vouching voter must live in the same riding as the person who wants to vote and may only vouch for one person.

This will eliminate the possibility of social workers or advocates vouching for numerous people they know, said David Eby, a lawyer with the Pivot Legal Society, a non-profit legal advocacy organization located in the Downtown Eastside.

"A community person like me, who might know lots of people without ID, can only vouch for one person," he said.

As a result, he said, hundreds of people may find themselves unable to vote.

According to Eby, existing legislation allows a person to swear a declaration that they are who they say they are, so long as they can satisfy the oath taker of their identity.

He says previous provincial and federal elections in the Downtown Eastside have seen hundreds of people swear declarations so they could participate in the democratic process.

"If anything, the government should be making it easier for people to vote, not more difficult," he said.

And while B.C.'s Liberal government takes the view that identification will reduce the potential for voter fraud, the Official Opposition isn't buying it.

Jenny Kwan, MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, has been leading the NDP's charge against the bill amendments.

She says the bill will only further marginalize B.C.'s low-income and homeless since they will have difficulty obtaining the appropriate documentation.

"At a time when voter turnout is as low as it is, I think the government should make sure people have every opportunity to vote," she said.

"How could it be that you have a government that is bringing forth legislation that will, in fact, do the opposite?"

Oppal says although there is no documented evidence of voter fraud, the changes are needed to reinforce voter identification.

"In a democracy, of course there is a right to vote," Oppal said. "At the same time, there has to be some obligation to the person to show they live in a particular riding."

"I don't think it's unfair to have someone who is homeless to show that they are affiliated with a particular riding."

Oppal added there are three ways the amendments allow a person to vote: Government-issued ID, two pieces of documentary evidence -- which can include shelter housing records and welfare cheques.

Voters can also have someone who lives in the same riding swear an affidavit for them.

"The Chief Electoral Officer would have the discretion to determine how a person could qualify," Oppal said. "He operates on the principals of fairness. He's not going to willfully deprive someone of the right to vote."

Kwan, who is also the opposition critic for economic development, disagrees with Oppal.

She says the amendments will block many of her riding's constituents from voting.

"We're looking at a significant number of people who will be disenfranchised as a result," she said.

"The government's step here is really inappropriate and targets people who are already really marginalized."

Bill 42, which is currently in its Second Reading in the legislature, appears fast-tracked for passage later this month.