Texas Senate about to rule on restricting voting

1. Today, if you have a valid VR card and you're on the precinct roster, you vote - but under this bill, that won't be good enough, because you'd have to present additional ID to vote - even if your voter Reg card is good and the election judge knows you.

2. This bill says that in addition to presenting a valid Voter Registration card, a voter would also have to show a photo ID (e.g., driver's license) or two forms of non-photo ID.

3. The bill's author admitted this will have a greater affect on certain people - and experts indicate that means seniors and the poor - any anyone without ID on them who shows up to vote with their VR card, just like they always have, then get told (probably by a Republican poll watcher or election judge) that if they don't have additional ID, they have to cast a provisional ballot, then take the required ID to the courthouse within 5 days or their provisional ballot won't count - meaning some people would have to show up twice to vote once.

4. This bill is part of a nationwide partisan Republican movement to restrict voter access among certain communities. The bill's supporters did not produce on example or any evidence of voter fraud that would be addressed by this bill.

Sen. Jackson tried to add Ms. Denny's HB 1706 language to a different innocuous driver's license bill on the Senate floor yesterday afternoon, but he was caught by Sen. Van de Putte and pulled it down. That just goes to show the very real partisan intent here - and the need to contact Senators and the public.

- Ed Martin (email) He has a blog here Save Texas Reps.