By Matt Mackowiak
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Earlier this week the Texas Senate began considering Voter I.D. legislation Senate Bill 14 with the laudable goal of improving our states election security. Similar legislation passed the Senate in 2009 and would have passed the House except House Democrats used parliamentary rules to cowardly run out the clock. They did not try to defeat the bill on the merits they knew they could not.
After debate earlier this week & final passage yesterday all 19 Senate Republicans and
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst had voted
in favor of the bill.
The right to vote is among the most treasured privileges for Americans.
From time to time it would seem reasonable that the Texas Legislature close loopholes that invite election fraud which devalues a legal vote.
A recent
Commission on Federal Election Reform (FER) report stated the electoral system cannot inspire public confidence if no safeguards exist to deter or detect fraud or to confirm the identity of voters."
With the Republicans newfound supermajority in the House the bill will become law.
What would the bill do?
Current law permits a person to produce a fraudulent voter registration certificate without any photograph and be allowed to vote in-person as no statutory standards exist to verify a voters identity.
Senate Bill 14 would require unexpired identification containing photograph (four choices): drivers license or personal identification card issued by the DPS a military identification card a U.S. citizenship certificate or a U.S. passport.
Voters can purchase a personal identification certificate for $5-$15. The bill also waives the fee for anyone who states that they are seeking the certificate solely to meet the ballot I.D. requirement.
Without required photo identification voters will be provided a provisional ballot and a future opportunity to meet the photo requirement.
Under the bill violators can be charged with a second-degree felony (instead of a third degree felony previously).
As
the FER Commission report also said photo IDs are currently needed to board a plane enter federal buildings and cash a check. Voting is equally important."
But is there voter irregularity?
Ample evidence exists to question the integrity of our elections.
From 2002-2005 alone
the Justice Department launched more than 180
investigations into election fraud resulting in 52 convictions. And these are only the federal cases.
On July 27 2007
the Brownsville Herald reported that the county issued 268 vote by mail applications for a local election but received 790 mail ballots.
In 2007 Harris County uncovered a voter fraud plot with at least 51 ballot applications with the same handwriting.
Voter rolls show dozens of suspicious households exist with over 20 people residing likely utilized for illegal voting.
Some opponents say photo I.D. laws disenfranchise voters and reduce turnout.
University of Missouri professor Jeffrey D. Milyo compared Indianas 2002 and 2006 elections (after that states I.D. law was enacted) and found that overall turnout increased by 2 percent. Milyo called disenfranchisement claims overblown
rhetoric and fear-mongering."
Any reasonable effort to improve election security should be welcomed.
Why would anyone oppose making it harder for people to fraudulently vote?
Matt Mackowiak is a Washington D.C.- and Austin-based Republican consultant and President of Potomac Strategy Group LLC.
