The Texas House of Representatives gave preliminary approval on Tuesday to a new bill on showing identification when voting after a previous voter ID law was struck down by U.S. courts which said it discriminated against black and Hispanic people.
The measure called Senate Bill 5 is intended to remedy flaws found by courts in the previous Republican-backed law. It allows people who cannot produce an authorized photo ID to show other documentation such as a utility bill or bank statement and sign an affidavit stating that they had a reasonable impediment in presenting an authorized ID.
Critics contend the measure backed by the Republican-dominated lawmakers will still exclude ethnic minorities, who tend to support Democrats, and imposes harsh penalties of up to 10 years in prison for lying on the affidavit.
Texas is the most-populous Republican controlled state. For more than 20 years, the party has won every statewide race for offices such as governor or U.S. senator. But shifting demographics have given hopes to Democrats that they can one day turn the state to their column, which would alter the U.S. political landscape.
The original voter ID measure was signed into law in 2011 by then Texas Governor Rick Perry, a Republican. It was considered one of the nation's strictest and has been subject to years of court challenges, with the laws opponents saying it could exclude up to 600,000 voters.
In January, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Texas seeking to revive the state's strict Republican-backed voter-identification requirements.
I never understood the discrimination claim. Forbidding felons from voting is literal discrimination but this is just a simply attainable requirement that has applications far beyond this scenario. Everyone needs to have a fucking ID not that this law is even asking for it but still that's the true main issue.
Gabriel Turner
>It allows people who cannot produce an authorized photo ID to show other documentation such as a utility bill or bank statement and sign an affidavit stating that they had a reasonable impediment in presenting an authorized ID. So niggers and spics can't get a simple and cheap Voter ID at a DMV months before election, but can get a bank statements?
William Diaz
Black people don't carry ID.
Dylan Roberts
Good point and I think it might specifically mean credit card bills which are often technically bank statements because for example I have two Visas but each is from a totally different bank.
Anthony Jackson
Why don't they? Literally everyone else does so.
Justin Nelson
Then it's their fault. As citizens they should have IDs just like everybody else.
Hunter Gray
Well I think you should be allowed to have Voter ID laws, that said I think the intention is to discriminate on party lines and racial lines are incidental but they are present. Providing any sort of burden on voting is likely to reduce minorities from voting as was the case with poll taxes and voting tests in the 19th Century so this can be logically seen as an extension of that racial history by the courts and knocked down.
The need to have voter ID (in a legal setting) must be held to be a compelling interest of the state and in the absence of actual voter fraud it becomes clear that this is at best a way to reduce Democratic votes and the corresponding higher racial minority numbers affiliated with that party.
Oliver Reyes
the poorest people:
1) tend not to have bank accounts
2) tend not to have cars or drive
3) tend not to travel (passport)
They will have an SS card, birth certificate, maybe some bills.
The major point is that requiring specialized photo ID to vote is unnecessary, as there is literally no significant voter fraud.
However, what it DOES do is prevent hundreds of thousands of legitimate voters from voting. DMVs in districts that are heavily liberal or minority are closed, given odd hours and/or understaffed. Requirements for IDs are often stupid specific. The only reason these voter ID bills are put into place is because conservatives know it will only benefit their party, to a huge degree, by shifting the balance of voters into overwhelmingly red territory.
Connor Reed
Here in north dakota we've always had voter id laws. No one here complains, ids are like 5 bucks to renew
Blake Powell
Wow I didn't realize that people on probation are also often forbidden from voting. How anyone doesn't consider that discrimination is beyond me. For thing that doesn't even fucking mean you did anything. You were simply convicted. Maybe I should start asking and prepare for next session. I already have one bill I wanna pitch so it'll be nice to have another one.
Oliver Peterson
North Dakota isn't under the Voting Rights Act. While the enforcement provisions of that have been struck down by the courts I believe that when a court holds a state to have created racially motivated laws it does permit the federal government to resume control over state voting laws via the Voting Rights Act.
>random Sup Forumstard thinks they know more than US Supreme Court
Bentley Cox
You say that like IDs are hard and expensive to get.
The voter ID law is present because in states like Texas, that border Mexico tend to have many illegal immigrants.
Removing such ID laws will give illegal immigrants the ability to vote to the party that will benefit their country instead of benefiting the US
Henry Ward
Well the state would have to establish an interest in preventing such fraud and show that it exists in large numbers which it hasn't done.
Cooper Wright
>According to the 2010 Census, the racial and ethnic composition of North Dakota was as follows: White American: 90.0% (88.7% non-Hispanic white I wonder why
Samuel Morales
There are no other applications to having a state ID? I simply don't believe that. Poor people dont still need to cash checks? It would be one thing if there were no other applications or it was an actual burden. Especially these days particularly renewal is easy as shot and just done online. Now more than ever before there is no reason not to have an ID
Blake Butler
Make ID compulsory for gibs, soon all the excuses to not get one will disappear and you can enact voter ID laws no problem.
Jacob Gonzalez
>as there is literally no significant voter fraud. AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAAAAA Your too stupid to vote I'll give you that.
William Morris
How about showing that a significant number of people dont have IDs. Homeless people have IDs
Andrew Peterson
if you need an id to buy alcohol and to drive you can show when when you vote
unless you think its too hard for hispanics and blacks to carry id which implies they are lesser humans
Samuel Powell
I don't think all homeless people have IDs where are you getting that information? In fact when reading the article disenfranchising the homeless was one of my first thoughts.
Aiden Adams
Some places don't take bank statements. Has to be a utility bill.
And a lot of people get their mail at a post office box, not delivered to their house (DMVs require all documents have the physical address).
Not to mention the people who don't have access to their birth certificates or Social Security card and have to pay money to get copies sent to them.
Not to mention that DMVs are not everywhere, something Republicans have exploited by killing DMVs in minority heavy communities and limiting the hours open for ones that avoid being shut down.
Oh and if you work day shift, you don't have fucking time to go to the DMV without having to take a day off from work unpaid. If you can even get the day off to begin with.
I went through a period when my drivers license expired (was at a big city college and walked everywhere) and it took me about three years to get it replaced due to the DMV requiring TWO utility bills with my name on it and a physical address too, along with my SS card and birth certificate.
Pretty much one of the greatest dirty secrets about getting proper voting ID is that EVERY STATE HAS DIFFERENT DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS FOR GETTING ID!
I'd be fine with what the GOP is doing if they'd stick to a single standard (which would actually fly better to normies) for every state and such. But it's blatantly clear to even the most idealistic conservative that the Voter ID laws being pushed is nothing more than a blatant attempt to disenfranchise people.
Henry Bailey
I fucking hate this. Texas is literally being held back for it's mistakes in the past. It's not like the majority wants this but If we don't fix the issues then we go back to having our voting laws fully controlled again by the government
Andrew Green
Implying that they would have their SS card and birth certificate but not an ID is naive to the point of lying. Do you know how insanely difficult it is too keep your birth certificate for literally your entire life? So they're responsible enough to do that but not have a photo ID. Lies. Total lies.
Zachary Reyes
>allow more people to vote by offering alternatives to a photo ID >this is considered discriminatory by the left Gas all the liberals already
Colton Fisher
Someone has to explain this to me, how the fuck is having to show an ID to vote racist?
Zachary Thompson
When I have them fucking arrested that my information. At least 100 in 10 years and literally the only ones who didn't have ID were literal wetbacks or other illegals who were so insane they just literally shit in the middle of the sidewalk.
Grayson Gonzalez
I will never understand how having or not having an ID is discriminatory. Isn't it the law to have one anyways? Jfc
Aaron Morales
>if you work day shift
maybe you shouldnt party every single weekend and trade your days off you lazy nigger
Ayden Reyes
>But it's blatantly clear to even the most idealistic conservative that the Voter ID laws being pushed is nothing more than a blatant attempt to disenfranchise people. Its blantly clear you're a fucking faggot who doesn't know anything about the DMVs here
you're really trying to make the claim that no one can get one day off in 2 years before voting? also how do you think the majority of people here get to work? you need a fucking drivers license to get anywhere which is why you hear the left say "people can't do it" instead of "this stat shows over half of texas doesn't have an ID" because they know its BS.
Fuck off commie
Cooper Collins
Still anecdotal.
Anthony Perry
>The major point is that requiring specialized photo ID to vote is unnecessary, as there is literally no significant voter fraud. how would you know, in the absence of voter ID, that there's no significant voter fraud? let's cut the chase. "republicans won in texas" is not an argument, they do this to isolate california and the other similar shitholes, not to improve texas. "there are very few complaints" is also not an argument, what can one base his complaint on, if there are no voter IDs? it's completely circular, they don't need voter ID because there is no fraud and you can't show fraud because there's no voter ID.
Owen Phillips
If you require valid IDs to vote, only legal citizens can vote. Democrats don't like this. So it's "racist."
Benjamin Thompson
This sounds reasonable. The liberal argument against voter ID laws is that, since you have to pay for an ID, if you demand someone show an ID to vote, you're demanding they basically have spent money in order to vote, which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional.
If you need to show a letter addressed to you and sign an affidavit, you aren't having to spend money, so this would not be a violation of the law.
Very smart way to get around that. Bravo Texas.
Justin White
Ill get the case numbers for you.
Now more than ever it is an absolute non issue to renew your I'D
Either way fuck it. How felons and even people on probation are allowed to be blocked from voting is simply beyond me.
Noah Long
as a Texan I'm getting fucking worried all these wetbacks and niggers will make us loose the gov/house/sen, especially my child the zodiac killer. All those other races vote in giant fucking blocks
Matthew Carter
So they can say "my name is Tyrone Jamal" instead of "Jamal Tyrone" when they get arrested and make it harder for the police.
Jackson Baker
It still is a burden and the question is, is the burden matched by a compelling state interest, and unless you can prove a) that there is widespread voter fraud and b) voter ID will prevent this fraud, the law can easily be felled as discriminatory by the courts.
Daniel Cruz
No the burden needs to be how easily the fraud can be committed. It's an undue burden on the state to wait for crimes to be committed. We all have a right to prevention.
Josiah White
>Texas House Approves New Voter ID Law Beaners BTFO
Daniel Taylor
Also being poor has literally nothing to do with not having a bank account. However committing previous bank fraud does.
Ethan Mitchell
They can afford $200 nike shoes, why can't they afford a $10 id?
Elijah Torres
A compelling interest is preventing something actual, not presaging theoretical concerns.
Jeremiah Miller
This is a terrible argument and you should feel bad.
>after a previous voter ID law was struck down by U.S. courts >because it discriminated against black and Hispanic people Please tell me you are joking. No fucking way you guys are that cucked.
Gavin Martin
Oklahoma here. Voter IDs work pretty damn good.
Michael Thompson
>"The voter card is issued to all Indian citizens who have attained the age of 18 years and qualify to be a voter."
lmao just read the fucking page you fool
Voter ID laws would be fine if voter IDs were given out to everyone over age 18 in the US, but that's just not the reality of the situation
Daniel Carter
>lose your wallet on November 1st >suddenly lose your constitutional right to participate in this country's representative government
Andrew Wood
Actually that would be covered under the law's provision that absent an ID you can come in with a utility bill and sign that you had trouble getting an ID/lost yours.
That said, I think this: is the most salient point. Unless IDs are free and easy to obtain they represent a poll tax-equivalent hindrance and unneeded burden to voting unsupported by actual data that voter fraud is rampant.
Nicholas Cook
>don't have utility bill handy >can't vote as though you were a felon It's stupid
Colton Fisher
heh, check this shit out: electionlawblog.org/?p=85289 The GOP is forced to address the issue of voter fraud by passing laws - which are invariably shot down - because the RNC is barred from conducting poll security anywhere coloreds are voting. Really the only options for Republicans are to either ignore the courts or somehow replace all the judges with fascists.
How can data be collected on voter fraud when it's illegal to monitor or prevent voter fraud?
Adam Collins
> But it's blatantly clear to even the most idealistic conservative that the Voter ID laws being pushed is nothing more than a blatant attempt to disenfranchise people.
Yeah, you dumb nigger. It's meant to disenfranchise people who aren't supposed to be voting in the first place.
