AUSTIN — Texas voters would have to offer photographic or other evidence of their identity at the polls under a bill that tentatively passed the Senate on Thursday on a party-line vote.
Nineteen Republicans supported it and 12 Democrats were opposed. The vote came after weeks of partisan bickering and an all-night hearing last week.
Final passage on Wednesday would send the bill to the House, where it is likely to cause similar tensions in a chamber split with 76 Republicans and 72 Democrats.
“The goal is to make sure that every person arriving at a polling site is the same one who is named on that voting list,” said Sen. Troy Fraser, the Horseshoe Bay Republican who authored the bill.
Voters would have to produce a driver’s license or other government-issued ID with their photo under the provisions the bill. However, they could bypass the photo ID requirement by showing two alternative forms of ID such as a utility bill, library card or birth certificate.
“They’re still going to be able to go vote without producing a photo,” Fraser said.
Those unable to produce required documents would be allowed to cast a provisional ballot that would be held separately until the voter’s identity could be verified.
Under current law, voters only have to show their voter registration cards.
Republicans said the bill is a needed step toward reducing voter fraud. Democrats argued that there is no evidence that the voter impersonation targeted by the bill actually exists.
“Voter impersonation hasn’t had any impact on any election at any time in this big state,” said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin.
Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, discussed allegations of voter impersonation in the Progreso school district board election last May. He read from affidavits he obtained from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, including one from a man who said he was paid $10 to vote for certain candidates using someone else’s voter registration card.
“We have a duty to protect the integrity and legitimacy of the electoral process,” Williams said.
Senators also disagreed about the likely impact of the bill.
The bill could keep 3 percent to 4 percent of eligible voters from participating in the next general election, said Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston. Fraser, however, noted that voter turnout grew last year in Indiana and Georgia, two states that require photo identification.
3 comments:
Requiring voters to show IDs at the polls would be a great way to prevent fraudulent voting. Voters that are unable to produce such ID should not be given the right to vote because they could misconstrue the voting process. I cannot see why there would be any opposition to this bill.
This reminds of me DPS and how much of a pain it is to bring my birth certificate, VOE, proof of Driver's Ed, and passport to get my first driver's license...Is this really necessary and how much will it cost? The majority of the electorate chooses not to vote anyway, and this bill will just make it more of a hassle to vote...the bill seems contradictory to me.
I thought I already had to show an ID when I voted...oh yeah, it's called a VOTER REGISTRATION CARD!
Post a Comment