What was once thought of as a common right of those 18 and up will soon become a privilege. States have been fighting about how easy or hard it should be to vote in each state, and this issue is now being directed to the Supreme Court.
According to an article from Slate.com, the cases each state is dealing with range from voter identification laws to early voting rules.
In Texas, a student ID is not accepted to vote, but a concealed weapons permit is. These restrictions apply to both the 2014 midterm elections and the 2016 presidential election.
The trial for the Texas voting restrictions case just ended. Observers expect a judge to rule whether the law violates the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act. There’s no question that if the judge puts Texas’ voter identification law on hold, the state will appeal higher, with the case potentially ending up in the Supreme Court.
According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Justice Department — which is fighting the law — began closing arguments during the case by flashing onto a projection screen how many eligible voters lack an acceptable form of ID: 608,470.
It also argued that black residents in Texas are four times as likely not to have an ID as white residents, with Hispanics being three times as likely not to have an ID. Both minority groups are traditionally Democratic voters.
Rick Hasen reported on the Election Blog that, based on some of the judge’s earlier rulings, her appointment as a Democratic appointee and reports from argument, there is a fairly good chance that the judge will strike down Texas’s voter identification law under the Voting Rights Act. If that happens, the case would go to the 5th Circuit, where there could well be a reversal, since the 5th Circuit has many more Republican appointees and is one of the most conservative courts in the country.
Seriously??? State ID is easy to obtain. If folks would stop worrying about how difficult it is going to be to “stuff the ballot box” and just participate in a fair election we might truly have a representative government of the people and for the people.
Seems to me that people who currently do not have official government issued ID need to go out and get it.
Not getting state ID not a hurdle, it’s an excuse. You need official ID to enroll in school, drive a vehicle, obtain any state license (hunt, fish, etc). It’s about accountability and to ensure you are who you say you are.
People who cannot obtain official government ID must have something to hide. If people don’t have anything to hide then obtaining a state issued ID is an easy get.
Next issue please.
Or people who don’t have an official government ID don’t have the money to enroll in college, don’t have the means or ability get a car and to learn to drive, and don’t have the time or money to hunt or fish. Why would they take the time and money to go the DPS to get a photo ID that they didn’t need before these voting laws? Plenty of people with nothing to hide don’t have an official ID for other reasons. Don’t judge other people’s situations solely off of your own experience.
^ Then you’re no longer arguing the point that the ID requirements affect the ability for STUDENTS to vote, considering that they themselves have an ID. If you want to argue that maybe it affects non-students from voting, then you might have a point.
Below are the documents you can present to get a hunting license in Texas:
except for the TDL, none of these are acceptable for voting.
a current Texas homestead property tax statement
the most recent six months of utility bills
the most recent six months of paycheck receipts
the person’s most recent tax return from the Internal Revenue Service
a statement from a parole board or probation officer stating that the person has continuously resided in Texas for the six months immediately preceding the application for a license or permit
a valid Texas driver’s license*
a current Texas voter registration certificate*
a current vehicle registration*
State ID is NOT easy to obtain! Are you kidding? When was the last time you were at the DMV? http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/electionID.htm. When was the last time you saw your birth certificate? Can you find it so you can apply for a voter ID? Or are you one who has the resources to afford a passport? Vote with that!
The state of Texas Voter ID law without question suppresses the vote turnout, and it does nothing to stop voter fraud, which is largely confined to vote-by-mail (which doesn’t require an ID)
Birth certificate issued by a U.S. state, U.S. territory or District of Columbia; or
For U.S. citizens born abroad—Certificate of Report of Birth (DS-1350 or FS-545) or Consular Report of Birth (FS-240) issued by the U.S. Department of State; or
U.S. Certificate of Citizenship or Certificate of Naturalization (N-560, N-561, N-645, N-550, N-55G, N-570 or N-578); or
U.S. Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197 or I-179)
Here are the ONLY IDs you can use for voting:
Approved Photo IDs
Texas driver license—unexpired or expired less than 60 days — issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) issued by DPS
Voters who currently do not have an approved form of photo ID may apply for an Election Identification Certificate (EIC) at no charge with the Department of Public Safety. For more information: Call (512) 424-2600 or visithttp://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/electionID.htm
Texas personal identification card issued by DPS—unexpired or expired less than 60 days
Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS—unexpired or expired less than 60 days
United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph – unexpired or expired less than 60 days
United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
United States passport—unexpired or expired less than 60 days