DPS To Open Saturdays for Voters Seeking ID Cards






Posted: Sep 20, 2013 8:13 PM Updated: Sep 20, 2013 8:18 PM

EDINBURG - Texas Department of Public Safety officials said they will open their offices on Saturdays to help those who need to get a voter identification card.
Voters have just six weeks to comply with the new voter identification law before they can cast a ballot in November's election.

Voters will not be allowed to cast a ballot if they don't show a valid form of identification.

For the next six Saturdays, DPS offices throughout the Rio Grande Valley will be open on Saturday so residents can get the election certificates. People with a legal identification don't have to get an election certificate, officials said.
Bertha Escamilla, a new Texas voter, said is anxious to vote for the first time. The Tamaulipas native became a naturalized citizen about a month ago.
Escamilla said she already registered to vote.
Escamilla said she agrees with the voter identification law. She said it should eliminate voter fraud.
Escamilla said getting a valid identification card can be difficult, especially for senior citizens, like the ones at the daycare where she works.
DPS officials said that is the reason they opted to open on Saturdays.
The city of Edinburg already held an election under the new law.
"Anything that will facilitate the process is always a good thing. You always want to accommodate the citizens and the voter," Edinburg Elections Administrator Myra Ayala said.
Garza said last week's election happened without incident.
"The voter identification went very smoothly. We did not hear any complaints," she said.
Garza said all the voters had their identifications. She said the city did not see a drop in the number of voters who showed up at the polls.
"The November election will probably be smoother now that they know how Edinburg and other municipalities were able to handle the transition," Garza said.
CHANNEL 5 NEWS contacted election administrators throughout the Valley to get a comment on the voter identification law. Some counties reported seeing an increase in the number of people registering to cast a ballot, when compared to last year. None of the administrators were concerned about the new law.
http://www.krgv.com/news/dps-to-open-saturdays-for-voters-seeking-id-cards/