Thread: Texas House Begins Debating Voter ID Legislation, Wow!

Texas House begins debating Voter ID legislation.

By: JAY ROOT 03/21/11 4:00 AM

Associated Press

The Texas House debated contentious legislation Monday aimed at requiring voters to show a photo ID before casting a ballot.

The bill was temporarily derailed on a parliamentary maneuver after Democrats raised objections that procedures were violated, but Republicans moved quickly to fix them. The bill was approved 6-2 in a House committee Monday afternoon and officials predicted it would be back on the floor by Wednesday.

Voter ID legislation sparked partisan tensions after Gov. Rick Perry put it on the fast track to passage. Republicans in legislatures across the nation argue it's needed to combat voter fraud. Democrats contend the bill is designed to erect hurdles for poor and minority voters who are less likely to have a state-issued ID card.

Having already passed the Senate, the legislation is deemed likely to get approval during the 2011 session after being shot down during high-intensity debates in recent years.

Rep. Patricia Harless, the Houston-area Republican who is carrying the bill in the House, said Texans already are required to produce an ID to get medical prescriptions, board an aircraft and obtain various goods and services.

"Ballot access should have at least the same integrity as renting a movie, boarding a commercial plane or cashing a check," Harless said. "The fact that states across the nation are passing voter ID laws is proof enough (of) the public's concerns regarding the potential of voter fraud."

Democrats know the bill is likely to pass but were trying to delay and amend the proposal during floor proceedings Monday. Legislators on both sides had been hunkering down for a long, partisan debate when House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, took it off the agenda due to procedural defects.

"I'm under no illusion about what the outcome is going to be today," said Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas. "My fear is that this bill is not going to increase the integrity of elections, but instead is going to keep legitimately eligible Texans from the polls."

At least eight U.S. states have strict photo ID requirements, according to a late 2010 study by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

After Republicans picked up strength in the 2010 elections, photo ID bills are working their way through various state legislatures this year, including in Arkansas, Kansas and North Carolina. Harless said the Texas legislation is modeled after similar laws in Georgia and Indiana.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011 ... z1HRk20Z62

Good for them.

Voter ID failed here in Maryland in November 2010 because the Democrats shot it down. Maryland is known to let illegal aliens vote, Casa de Maryland rounds up illegal aliens and provides them with transportation to the polling booths, so any attempts to have any kind of immigration crackdown in Maryland never stands a chance.

Follow TEXAS Legislation here:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-225029.html

Texas Legislature homepage.
On the right, you can watch either house or senate chamber LIVE
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

Texas House begins debating Voter ID legislation.

All States should enact voter I.D. law to cease voters fraud.