Texas Voter ID Bill Passed by House

[Deleted]

What does everyone think of this legislation? I think it will help with voter fraud while others will think it "disenfranchises" minority voters.

www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/24/texas-house-passes-requiring-voters-photo-id/

"The legislation, as currently drafted, would require voters to present a valid form of state or federally issued photo identification. A driver's license, personal ID card, military ID, passport or concealed handgun permit would be accepted. Voters who don't have an ID could get one for free from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Voters who could prove they had been victims of identify fraud could would be exempt from the new rules."

Notice the BOLD part above?

For those of you who will say, "It's Fox News...blah...blah...blah", here's the article for the Austin-American Statesman:

www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/emotional-voter-id-bill-debate-ends-in-passage-1344311.html

Noticeably absent from the Statesman article is the fact that there will be no cost to get the ID if you don't already have one.

[Deleted]

Go Texas! It's about time.

[ChiTownVenture]

Voters who don't have an ID could get one for free from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

IMO, This makes it ok.

Voters who could prove they had been victims of identify fraud could would be exempt from the new rules.

This is a little strange especially since they stripped out the exemptions for Senior (not Señor) Citizens.

[ed1066]

Makes perfect sense. It's madness that this is not the law in every state...

[floridayankee]

Mar 24, 2011 11:02:15 GMT -5 @financialtexan said:

What does everyone think of this legislation? I think it will help with voter fraud while others will think it "disenfranchises" minority voters.

Seems to me that the only "disenfranchised" voter would be someone that is not qualified to vote in the first place. But, I don't see a big deal with it since I've always had to show a photo ID at polls in both RI and here in FL.

From the Statesman link:

...Anchía, flanked by several other Democrats at an afternoon news conference, said that since 2002, there has been just one case of convicted voter impersonation and that 70 percent of convictions in voter fraud cases involved mail-in ballots, which are not addressed in the bill passed Wednesday.

If the bill does nothing to verify identity for mail-in ballots, I don't see the legislation as something that will really curb much voter fraud.

[handyman2]

This should be no big deal. Other states have had this for some time.

[Deleted]

"The legislation, as currently drafted, would require voters to present a valid form of state or federally issued photo identification. A driver's license, personal ID card, military ID, passport or concealed handgun permit would be accepted.
Hey I have more than one of those valid forms of ID. Can I vote for each one that I have? If I pay some extra money & get all of the different ID's can I vote for each one of them? I really need the extra vote because I want to make sure that President Obama doesn't come back.

[formerexpat]

What does everyone think of this legislation? I think it will help with voter fraud while others will think it "disenfranchises" minority voters.

Should be standard protocol for all states. I know I had to not only *show* my ID but swipe it when I signed in. They then gave me a card that I had to swipe at the voting station.

Some might not like steps aimed at stopping voting fraud. I think it's a good idea. Wonder how many students mistakenly vote in the wrong state because they aren't residents of the state their school is in?? [/size]

[formerexpat]

BTW, I'd rather disenfranchise the minority [as in the number of, not race] rather than the majority of voters by putting sensible laws in place like proving you are a resident of the state and a legal citizen of the US.

[safeharbor37]

From the Dallas Morning News, Front Page, Section A, top left:
"AUSTIN -- As they debated a photo identification mandate for voters,House members passionately and frequently defended the imperative of ballot integrity.
And then, often and openly, many of them voted for themselves, then reached over and cast their colleagues' votes, too, on some of the bill's 63 amendments.
The practice, known as ghost-voting, is widespread in the House -- the chamber's rules even state that members can ask colleagues to vote for them................" By Christy Hoppe, Austin Bureau
[edit ~ I didn't mean to kill the thread. I think the Dallas Morning News is a liberal knee-jerk comparing apples with oranges.]