Voter ID

August 5, 2016

The Integrity of Our Elections

Why Republicans should stop fear-mongering about voter fraud.

By Erica Grieder

October 15, 2014

Voter ID Un-Struck, Abortion Clinics Re-Opened, and Annise Parker Picks a Fight

Also, Ebola

By Erica Grieder

October 10, 2014

Voter ID Struck Down

A federal judge in Corpus Christi called the state's voter ID law "an unconstitutional poll tax"

By Erica Grieder and Paul Burka

August 14, 2012

The fraud of voter impersonation fraud

From the Washington Post, August 11: A new nationwide analysis of more than 2,000 cases of alleged election fraud over the past dozen years shows that in-person voter impersonation on Election Day, which has prompted 37 state legislatures to enact or consider tougher voter ID laws, was virtually

January 28, 2010

McCaig defends Todd Smith on Voter I.D. issue

This mass e-mail was sent to me by SREC member Mark McCaig. Dear Texas Republicans, Like the vast majority of Texas Republicans, I am a strong supporter of legislation that will require photo identification to vote. As a member of the State Republican Executive Committee, I supported efforts by the

May 26, 2009

Whither Straus?

On the night that the House debated the Appropriations bill on the floor in 2007, Democrats were able to add amendments for a teacher pay raise and against school vouchers. Craddick lieutenants went onto the floor to try to turn the votes but were unable to do so. The next

May 25, 2009

How the Democrats passed Voter I.D.

Elections committee chair Todd Smith has researched the history of Voter I.D. legislation in Texas. He shared his findings with me. In 1997, Elections chair Debra Danburg, a Democrat, brought HB 330 to the floor. The bill amended the Election Code to require an election judge to ask for a

May 23, 2009

Will the Democrats walk on Voter I.D.?

Remember Albuquerque. The Senate Democrats found themselves stuck in New Mexico without an exit strategy. The situation is similar to congressional redistricting in that the governor holds the cards. He can call a special session on any subject and open the call to Voter I.D. Except that the House Democrats’

May 11, 2009

Heflin’s vote gets Voter I.D. out of committee

By Abby Rapoport, Texas Monthly Intern The Elections Committee sent Voter ID out of committee over lunch—but it’s not the bill most wanted. After going through several versions and so-called “compromise bills”, the committee ultimately voted on Troy Fraser’s Senate version, identical language and all. The meeting, a chaotic gathering

April 29, 2009

RPT Secures Voter I.D. Pledges

Fifty-two of the seventy-six House Republicans signed a document prepared by the Republican Party of Texas (a link is on the Quorum Report) pledging to insist on the inclusion of four core principles in a Voter I.D. bill. These principles are: 1. Ensure a valid photo identification is needed to

April 7, 2009

The Voter I.D. Hearing: Dunnam makes a point

You can love Dunnam or you can hate him, and I’ve done both, at times, but I’ll say this about him: He doesn’t miss much. He had some Voter I.D. proposals to present to the Elections committee today, and when the hearing started, Todd Smith spoke generally to the audience

March 30, 2009

Straus faces ruling on Brown Voter I.D. amendment

The vehicle is HB 71 by Corte. The crucial question is whether a Voter I.D. amendment is germane. The caption and the text of the bill are quite specific. In a rational world, a point of order would have to be upheld, but since when is the Texas House a

March 16, 2009

D’s turn noses up at Ogden’s $2 million for Voter ID education

For the no-good-deed-goes-unpunished file: Chairman Steve Ogden at this morning’s Senate Finance meeting stirred up a hornet’s nest when he offered a rider of $2 million contingent upon passage of the Voter ID bill. Democrats were quick to point out that the bill carried a fiscal note of zero– in

March 12, 2009

Texas GOP uses Voter I.D. hearing to raise $$$

Here’s the e-mail, dated March 11: We expected and prepared for anything at yesterday’s Senate hearing on Voter ID legislation. Let me tell you — the liberal Democrats in Austin did not disappoint on that front. Hundreds of concerned Texans showed up as early as 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning

March 10, 2009

The Indiana redistricting case: Is it in point?

This was an interesting discussion. The same lawyer who was grilled by Wentworth and Tommy Williams (see “Liars and Stolen Maps,” below) was asked by Democrats about the applicability of the Supreme Court opinion upholding the constitutionality of Indiana’s Voter I.D. law. The lawyer’s answer was that the Indiana case

March 10, 2009

Abbott spent $1.4 million on voter fraud prosecutions, witness said

This was the testimony of a witness from the Brennan Center at NYU, moments ago (around 10:55 p.m.), who said flatly that there are virtually no cases of voter impersonation fraud. I agree with him on that point, but the oft-repeated information that Abbott spent $1.4 million on voter fraud

March 10, 2009

Dueling studies

So everyone has done their research…and found research that supports their position. For the Voter ID advocates, Hans von Spakovsky cited an academic study by economist and professor Jeffrey Milyo of the University of Missouri about Indiana’s experience since passing Voter ID. His conclusion: Not only no evidence of repression

March 10, 2009

“This man characterized the President of the United States as a liar!”

It starts collegially enough. First witness for the Voter ID advocates is Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation, who cites a grand jury report in New York City that found a 14-year conspiracy of voter impersonation in both legislative and congressional races as proof that voter fraud exists. He

March 10, 2009

Cute? Not so much…

Sen. Royce West, trying to gauge the impact of Voter ID on minorities, asks Fraser if he has spoken to any ethnic minorities about his bill. “I don’t want to get cute with you but you are an ethnic minority and I have talked to you about it,” said Fraser.

March 10, 2009

Vanishing Fiscal Note

It did not escape Judith Zaffirini’s notice that the Voter ID bill from last session carried a $671,000 annual fiscal note, but this year’s version has a a neutral impact. What prompted the difference? she asks Fraser. “Good research,” he contends. Evidently, upon closer scrutiny, the Voter ID bill can

March 10, 2009

Fraser takes the floor

Sen. Troy Fraser says his bill requiring voters to present identification was a response to the 2005 Carter-Baker Commission which recommended a uniform voter photo ID. He says that commission found evidence of voter fraud, including voter impersonation. Despite Democratic fears that the bill would repress voter interest, Fraser said

March 10, 2009

Tag to prevent hearing?

Judith Zaffirini tells the press table that Mario Gallego’s tag may prevent CONSIDERATION of the Voter ID bill, not just passage from committee. According to Z, the tag notes a defect in the official posting, since the Senate yesterday postponed the hearing from 9 a.m.to 10 a.m. today. Also, Duncan

March 10, 2009

Abbott not to testify

Bob Duncan, responding to Leticia Van De Putte, says the Attorney General is not a proper witness in the Texas Senate Committee of the Whole on Voter ID because it “is an issue in which we know there will be a review by the court system and the DOJ.” Van

March 8, 2009

The Week in Review

This post has been revised since its initial publication. 1. The Tom Schieffer candidacy. Patricia Kilday Hart and I interviewed Tom Schieffer about his race for the Democratic nomination governor. Interestingly, Schieffer asked to go off the record before the interview to discuss the events that led to his being

January 28, 2009

Perry’s Proposals

My general reaction to the governor’s speech is that it was not his best work. His delivery was off and his message was predictable. Indeed, if you’ll pardon me for saying so, I predicted most of it. In my post before the speech, I wrote that he would back off

January 27, 2009

State of the Governor’s Race

The context of Perry’s State of the State speech is that it takes place during a governor’s race in which he is no better than even-money to win. His remarks will be closely watched for clues about how he plans to position himself in his career-risking battle against Kay Bailey

January 17, 2009

The future of the 2/3 rule

Ever since Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst wired around the 2/3 rule to pass congressional redistricting in 2003, I have believed that the rule cannot survive in the partisan era. It may still have some life in issues that don’t have partisan overtones, but the maneuvering on the Voter I.D. bill indicates

January 15, 2009

Dunnam’s empty threat

Sometimes the Democratic leader can be really smart, as when he pinned down Tom Craddick with parliamentary inquiries over the past three sessions, and sometimes he can be way off base. Yesterday he was way off base when he intervened in the Senate dispute over the voter I.D. bill. He

January 13, 2009

The Dew Links Rules Change to Voter ID

In his post-session Q and A with reporters, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst predicted that proposals for changing the Texas Senate’s two-thirds rule will evaporate if senators find middle ground on the Voter ID bill. “With agreement on that issue, it (a rules change) becomes moot,” he said. In fact, each

January 13, 2009

Patrick’s proposal “dead on arrival??”

Ed. Note: We’d like to welcome back Patricia Kilday Hart, who will be covering and blogging the Legislature with Paul. This is her first post. Ah, opening day of the 81st Session, where the mood in the Capitol is one of grand expectations for Peace on Earth, now that Tom