House votes to protect elections
Members approve measure to require photo ID to vote

The Texas House of Representatives last week approved legislation to ensure the sanctity of the ballot by requiring a photo ID to vote.

House Bill 218, by Representative Betty Brown, requires all voters show a photo ID to vote. A driver's license or state-approved ID is acceptable. Free IDs would be made available to all voters lacking one, and voters who forget their IDs or do not get them by the date of the vote can cast a provisional ballot, which may be counted after the voter's identity has been established.

"We've heard all the arguments against a voter ID, and we've met every one of them in this legislation," Brown said. "This is such an important issue that a bipartisan commission led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker has recommended it as one of the top reforms we could make to improve our election process. Illegal voting dilutes legitimate votes, and we owe it to every citizen to protect their voting rights."

A recent Baseline poll showed that 85 percent of Texans support voter ID, a result that remains consistent across all ethnic lines.

"After spending a couple of years in Vietnam in combat, I learned that people all around the world would die to have the right to vote as we do here in the United States, and I was proud to be over there to protect that right," said Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler), who serves as the House Elections Committee Chairman. Berman noted that Harris County found over 4,000 voters illegally registered by cross-referencing them to residents expunged from jury duty rolls for being non-citizens.

"I think this bill will give us the ability to have security and pride that it is we Texans who are voting," Rep. Wayne Christian (RCenter) said. "Illegal voting takes away the value of the vote of those who have a right to vote. Voting is an earned privilege, it is not just a gift that is given to anyone who shows up at the polls and can't prove who they are."

"We want to put value and pride back into voting in our state," he added. "Our voters from all across the state are saying, `Protect my bal- lot' and that's what this bill does."

"The bill before us brings the highest integrity possible to the process, and protects the individual's right to know that his vote counts," Rep. Nathan Macias (R-Bulverde) said.