Voter ID appears dead in Senate
Republicans still favor the bill.
By Mark Lisheron
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, May 17, 2007

After a day of closed-door meetings in which not a single bill was considered, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Wednesday pronounced all but dead in the Senate a measure that would require Texans to present identification before voting.

The bill, which Senate Democrats oppose, will almost certainly not be considered before Wednesday's deadline for that chamber's bills to be passed, Dewhurst said.

"Right now, only 20 members are willing to vote for this bill," he said. "Regrettably, unless somebody's absent, I don't think it's going to come up again."

Dewhurst also told senators that he would not consider the bill if it were attached to a House bill.

Dewhurst made his statement a day before the Senate State Affairs Committee is expected to hear House Bill 626 by Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, which would require a person to prove citizenship before registering to vote.

The lieutenant governor made it clear that his concession in no way changed his conviction. Dewhurst produced numbers that he said proved voter fraud in Dallas and Harris counties and statistics that showed the vast majority of voters in favor of voter identification.

"For most Americans, this is a no-brainer," Dewhurst said.

For 11 Americans who are Texas senators, opposing the bill is the no-brainer. Democrats contend that requiring identification presents an unnecessary hurdle.

On Tuesday, Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, had threatened to filibuster when Sen. Troy Fraser stood to introduce the voter bill. Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, had taken advantage of several Democratic absences to try to push the bill through.

The tactic angered Democrats, including Sen. John Whitmire of Houston. At one point, Dewhurst threatened to eject Whitmire, who had cursed at Dewhurst, who, nonetheless, allowed a second vote after the missing Democrats returned to the floor. Democrats blocked consideration by a 20-11 vote.

Senators returned Wednesday to hear a regularly scheduled morning prayer, which included the singing of "Kumbaya." Van de Putte then called for a 30- to 45-minute recess that lasted four hours.

During the interim, Democrats met with Democrats and Republicans met with Republicans to discuss the fate of a voter identification bill. Dewhurst issued two letters, the first attempting to explain the anger of the day before and the second to clarify that in spite of their political disagreements, he and Whitmire remain friends.

mlisherson@statesman.com