By Kim Hilsenbeck
New Texas voter ID rules have changed what’s needed to vote in the Nov. 5 election. Last day to register is Oct. 7.
What’s Required?
Texas registered voters can bring one of seven photos IDs to vote:
• Driver license issued by the Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate from DPS
• Texas personal ID from DPS
•Texas concealed handgun license from DPS
• U.S. military ID containing the person’s photograph
• U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
• U.S. passport
With the exception of the citizenship certificate, all must be current or expired not longer than 60 days.
Exemption/Exceptions:
The law allows several exemptions to showing a photo ID.
Disabled voters with no other photo ID may apply for a permanent exception. Applicants must provide written documentation from Social Security or Veterans Affairs showing a disability rating of at least 50 percent. If granted, disabled voters with a disability exemption will be allowed to vote with a voter registration certificate.
These voters may cast a provisional ballot:
• Voters who have a consistent religious objection to being photographed.
• Voters who do not have photo ID because of natural disasters as declared by the President or the Governor.
They must appear at the voter registrar’s office within six calendar days after election day, and sign an affidavit swearing to the religious objection or natural disaster.
What if you have no photo ID?
Voters who do not have any of the forms of photo ID can get a Texas Election Identification Certificate from DPS. Proof of citizenship and identity will be required.
Voting Procedures
At polls, voters will be asked to present one acceptable form of ID. Election officials will determine whether the voter’s ID name matches the name on the official list of registered voters (OLRV). If the names match, regular voting procedures follow.
If the name does not match exactly but is “substantially similar”, the voter will be permitted to vote as long as the voter signs an affidavit stating that the voter is the same person on the OLRV.
If a voter does not have proper identification, the voter will still be permitted to vote provisionally. The voter will have six days to present proper identification to the county voter registrar.
Critics of the Texas Voter ID law believe some voters will be disenfranchised by the requirement, including low-income citizens, minority voters, rural voters, voters who don’t drive and don’t have easy access to transportation.
U.S. Census data shows that in Texas, 13.1 percent of African Americans and 7.3 percent of Hispanics live in households without access to a motor vehicle, compared with only 3.8 percent of whites.
Early voting runs Oct. 21 – Nov. 1.
