Texas Voter ID Law

[KRAM1]

---Not every county has a place to obtain a license and besides look at the size of some West Texas counties.... the license place may be a long way away... the polling places aren't. You must be from a rather large city and just don't understand. .

Denton...but I also come from a place where voting is important enough to do what it takes to be able to vote and to assure the integrity of the election. Lots of ways to get the appropriate ID... I have an 86 year old Mom who cannot drive and who can barely walk, but she is already letting me know that I will transport her wherever she needs to go to get the proper ID should it come to that.

It will definitely be a bit of a struggle for her...but she wants to vote! Accommodations can be made....even for folks who live in wide open west Texas.

[UNTLifer]

---I have a mixed opinion.... I had a mother-in law who did not drive... no license then. Also does the ID have to be current...?? An expired license or passport that obviously shows the person should be ok....it does positively identify them.... Some older people just don't drive anymore and have no current ID. . In some remote parts of West Texas it is not all that easy to get to a license place or to even obtain an ID... especially if they don't drive or never had one..

--- The whole idea sounds great... but there are problems with it. Nothing is as simple as it looks at first. I work elections and am an election judge. I have seen no evidense of voter fraud anyway.... well one idiot tried to vote absentee and then again on election day... he got nowhere and was arrested. Also had a woman bring in senile relative and wanted to "assist" her [ie. other words vote for her ] ... that didn't fly either .... an ID would not have helped in either of those two cases..

--- The worse thing I have heard [from relatives] is that some polling places [not here but in Dallas area ] just aren't all that private and that people behind them [ and sometimes election officials] can see how they are voting...

--- There been cases this year in other states where a person was registered and brought an expired ID to vote... they were denied even though they were registered and the people at the election desk were certain the right person was standing in front of them...... not good.

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Since you work elections, how do you verify a person's identity when they arrive to vote?

[Rudy]

So, how do you propose people prove they are a U.S. citizen and how do you propose they are who they say?

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Since you work elections, how do you verify a person's identity when they arrive to vote?

-- Under current law they present their voters certificate.... if not... then they must have other ID with them which can be a passport or drivers license.. there are other items they can use. We are allowed to question them about address etc. Of course they do have now to be on the voter rolls which state age etc. there. Tough to vote in place of someone that isn't same gender, age etc. and fool election workers. Pretty likely that someone in voting place including other voters will know them or who they claim to be as well.... even that isn't enough to verify them but might just eliminate them and get them arrested for fraud.

-- Get caught and the sherrif will be looking them up and locking them up.

-- The new deal is a voter's certificate AND a picture ID. Sounds ok ...but there are problems with it...

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Edited March 22, 2012 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[gksmith]

From what you said on the first posting it is a simple fact of REQUIREING BOTH a voter registration card AND a valid Texas ID. If this law passes it will add a restriction for people to vote.

It is pretty easy to get a voter registration card. Fill in the registration card with your information and one will be mailed to you. I hope that the State of Texas verifies that the person registering is of legal status. A new card is issued every year or so to valid registered voters who have voted recently.

You have to be registered to vote. You have to have voted within the last 2 years (I think) to stay on the voter list (if you have not voted in a long time you have to register again before you can vote). If you do not have your voter ID card handy and are registered you can use your state ID card instead. The poll workers check the registered voter list to make sure that you are registered properly and in the right place, which is why you can still vote with just your state ID. But requiring both IDs makes it harder to vote.

Voting is pretty easy now as compared to about 25 years ago. Before there was “early voting” you had to show proof that you will not be able to vote on Election Day before you could do “Absentee Voting.” You had to vote on Election Day only.

We still don’t get anywhere near 100% participation in the process. At best (General National election involving voting for President where one candidate is very popular) the turnout is less than 40-50%. It gets worse in the lower level elections or issues (state – county – local). In Lewisville in the election for voting wet/dry beer and wine sales around year 2002, only about 2000 people voted. Lewisville is over 92,000 population. Less then 3% of the population decided for everyone else.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

From what you said on the first posting it is a simple fact of REQUIREING BOTH a voter registration card AND a valid Texas ID. If this law passes it will add a restriction for people to vote.

It is pretty easy to get a voter registration card. Fill in the registration card with your information and one will be mailed to you. I hope that the State of Texas verifies that the person registering is of legal status. A new card is issued every year or so to valid registered voters who have voted recently.

You have to be registered to vote. You have to have voted within the last 2 years (I think) to stay on the voter list (if you have not voted in a long time you have to register again before you can vote). If you do not have your voter ID card handy and are registered you can use your state ID card instead. The poll workers check the registered voter list to make sure that you are registered properly and in the right place, which is why you can still vote with just your state ID. But requiring both IDs makes it harder to vote.

Voting is pretty easy now as compared to about 25 years ago. Before there was “early voting” you had to show proof that you will not be able to vote on Election Day before you could do “Absentee Voting.” You had to vote on Election Day only.

We still don’t get anywhere near 100% participation in the process. At best (General National election involving voting for President where one candidate is very popular) the turnout is less than 40-50%. It gets worse in the lower level elections or issues (state – county – local). In Lewisville in the election for voting wet/dry beer and wine sales around year 2002, only about 2000 people voted. Lewisville is over 92,000 population. Less then 3% of the population decided for everyone else.

--Yep that is about it.. Not sure about the past two year thing but I know there is a time limit.. It is noted on the voting rolls we have. Again I have very mixed oppinions on this.. Here anyway I am not hearing or seeing any fraud problems. If the IDs don't have to current (can be expired drivers license or passport) then I have a lot less problem with it.... Just know that the person trying to vote is who they claim to be.... so what if the drivers license or whatever is expired. Does the picture fit the person standing there and is the "whatever" document legit.

--I am far more concerned about the privacy issues I hear exist other places than the two document thing.

--As for the non-voters.... didn't vote...? then shut up... you got what you wanted.

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[gksmith]

But if you don't have to show an ID to get the voter registration card or show ID with the card, how do they know it is you?

You trust that the commission that validates the card and sends it to the registered voter sends it to the right person and the right address. There is no picture on the voter card but there are still checks against fraud.

Question is - if you received your card, why would you let someone else use it? If it is getting close to election time and you see that you don't have a card, wouldn't you investigate why? If you think someone stole the card from your mailbox (Federal felony) then you report it. There are links to election officials on city websites.

When you vote, not only are you presenting either the voter card or the state ID, the poll workers verify the address and have you sign the roll. (ALWAYS sign your voter card, credit card, et al as soon as you get it) I worked elections as an election judge for a location and a basic worker. I have not seen it but if I notice a huge difference in signatures between the roll and the card, I am going to ask questions. If someone appears to be of sound mind and can't confirm an address, I am going to ask questions.

Election workers are not out there alone. They can contact the county election official at any time if there is a problem or question.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---Another big question.... and it is a complicated one.... what about mail in ballots....?? How does one show a picture ID.??. It is mailed to the address of the registered voter.. There appears to be the large open window for fraud... election officials don't even see who marks the ballot. Those bother me the most. I have no experience there... Does it have to be witnessed.?? I have rumors of people having a lot mailed to a rest home some places and who knows what happened then...

[gksmith]

I would have to look more into mail-in votes.

I believe those are mostly reserved for military serving out of the country at the time.

I am not positive but I don't think just anyone can use the mail-in ballot.

[Coffee and TV]

I would have to look more into mail-in votes.

I believe those are mostly reserved for military serving out of the country at the time.

I am not positive but I don't think just anyone can use the mail-in ballot.

In Oregon its completely mail-in ballots. There's not widespread fraud that I'm aware of.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

I would have to look more into mail-in votes.

I believe those are mostly reserved for military serving out of the country at the time.

I am not positive but I don't think just anyone can use the mail-in ballot.

---I used one when I was a student at least once..... I hear that a lot of rest home residents use them. They are not as rare as you seem to think. In fact I heard of a case of someone going to a rest home and having them request them.... I think some folks got after them for doing it.... afraid they would be highly "influenced". The problems are not at the polls with identifications but elsewhere if there are any, places that can't be monitored well.