Bill requiring voters to show photo identification advances in Texas House

AUSTIN — A bill that would require Texas voters to show an approved form of photo identification at the polls has been tentatively approved by the Texas House.<br><br>Senate Bill 14, which was approved by a vote of 81-64 along mostly party lines, would be one of the strictest voter ID laws in the country.<br><br>The bill would require voters to show one of six approved forms of identification at the polls and would send first-time applicants for driver's licenses a voter registration card.<br><br>Lawmakers attached several amendments to the bill, including a requirement that voter registration cards be made available in both English and Spanish. Another amendment would allow people to vote without a photo ID if they are unable to get one.<br><br>The bill now goes back to the Senate, which has already approved it.<br><br>Texas is one of 10 states that have an approved photo ID law. Laws in six other states have been rejected by courts, and others have been approved by lawmakers but have not yet been litigated.<br><br>Republican and Democratic state lawmakers have had different opinions on the bill for most of the legislative session.<br><br>Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, the bill's author, said that the law is urgently needed to prevent election tampering and ensure trust in democracy.<br><br>Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, said he believes the law would disproportionately affect low-income Texans.<br><br>It remains to be seen how the law will be enforced in the state's largest counties, which already require poll workers to ask for photo identification from voters.<br><br>Leaders in some of the state’s largest election offices have expressed skepticism and frustration over the law, and said they fear it will be difficult and costly to implement.<br><br>Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, Tarrant County Elections Administrator Jayne Greenwood and Travis County Clerk Ruben Cortez each expressed concerns about the bill when it was first proposed in October.<br><br>"They are not giving us the (funding) to implement this policy," Hudspeth said.<br><br>Cortez said the bill’s approval is a sign of “systemic racism” that disproportionately affects communities of color by limiting access to voting.<br><br>Law enforcement across the state have consistently reported that it is extremely rare to encounter cases of voter impersonation.<br><br>Voter fraud is also rare in Texas, which has been confirmed by the Texas Secretary of State and the U.S. Department of Justice.<br><br>However, with the election of President Joe Biden, many Texans have become more skeptical of the system.<br><br>The bill is seen by many as an attempt to curb the perceived threat of widespread voter fraud.<br><br>Critics of the bill have questioned the effectiveness and utility of the law, saying that requiring identification at the polls is unnecessary and burdensome.