In May 2011, Governor Perry rushed an amendment to the state’s voting law through the legislature. This would require all voters to present photo IDs at the polls before casting their ballots. It is now entangled in the preclearance process through the Justice Department. Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott filed suit against Attorney General Eric Holder in late January in an attempt to fast-track the law into effect for the November elections. Republican proponents of the bill say the bill is necessary to prevent voter fraud.
CURRENT LAW
Voter registration certificate
- Driver’s license
- Department of Public Safety ID card
- A form of ID containing the person’s photo that establishes the person’s identity
- A birth certificate or other document confirming birth that is admissible in a court of law and establishes the person’s identity
- U.S. citizenship papers
- A U.S. passport
- Official mail addressed to the person, by name, from a governmental entity
- A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the person’s name and address
- Any other form of ID prescribed by the secretary of stateA voter who does not present a voter registration certificate when offering to vote, but whose name is on the list of registered voters for the precinct in which the voter is offering to vote, shall be accepted for voting if the voter executes an affidavit stating that the voter does not have the voter’s voter registration certificate in the voter’s possession and the voter presents other proof of identification. A voter who does not present a voter registration certificate and cannot present other identi- fication may vote a provisional ballot. A voter who does not present a voter registration certificate and whose name is not on the list of registered voters may vote a provisional ballot.
PROPOSED LAW
- Driver’s license
- Election identification certificate
- Dept. of Public Safety personal ID card
- U.S. military ID
- U.S. citizenship certificate
- U.S. passport
- License to carry a concealed handgun is sued by the Dept. of Public SafetyAll of the above must include a photo of the voter. With the exception of the certificate of citizenship, these forms
of ID cannot be expired or cannot have expired more than 60 days before the election.A voter who fails to present the required identification may cast a provisional ballot. The voter must present, not later than the sixth day after the date of the election, the required form of identification to the voter registrar for examination OR the voter may execute, in the presence of the voter registrar, an affidavit under penalty of perjury stating that the voter has a religious objection to being photographed or that the voter does not have identification as a result of a natural disaster declared by the president or the governor which occurred not earlier than 45 days before the date the ballot was cast. (via National Conference of State Legislatures)DID YOU KNOW?Minorities account for 89 percent of the population growth in Texas.
The Black population grew 22 percent from 2000 to 2010.
The non-Hispanic White population fell to 45 percent from 52 percent in 2000.
37 percent of Texas’ population is Hispanic.
Of Texas’ most populated areas, Tarrant County experienced the largest growth in Hispanic population–69.3 percent (According to U.S. Census)
