Texas’ Strict ID Law Disenfranchises More than Half a Million Voters,
Mostly Poor and Minorities


Thanks to the Supreme Court and the relentless efforts of the GOP to
suppress minority voters, early voting in Texas is taking place under
the strictest identification laws in the country.

In her dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that these ID
requirements “may prevent more than 600,000 Texas voters (about 4.5
percent of all registered voters) from voting in person for lack of
compliant identification.�

Texas now requires voters to present a photo ID at the polls, but it
must come from a very specific list. Driver’s or gun licenses are
approved, but a state college ID is not. Even presenting the voter
registration card that you used in the last election won’t cut it now
because there is no photo on it.

The law had been struck down earlier this month by federal district
judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, who said that the law was simply an attempt
by the GOP to “suppress the overwhelmingly Democratic votes of African
Americans and Latinos,� reported the Guardian.

Many of these voters, minority or not, are also very poor. And while
obtaining a photo ID might not seem like that big of a deal, as Ginsburg
noted, “more than 400,000 eligible voters face round-trip travel times
of three hours or more to the nearest� government office that issues IDs.

And while the state claims to offer birth certificates, which normally
cost about $22, for $2 to $3 for election purposes only, it has not
publicized that option adequately.

“Even at $2, the toll is at odds with this court’s precedent,� she
wrote, referencing the SCOTUS decision to eliminate Virginia’s poll tax.

The $22 birth certificate is still a struggle for some of Texas’ poorest
residents. The Guardian spoke to Eric Kennie, a 45-year old, native
Texan, who has never missed an election or even left the city of Austin.
He said his parents raised him to think that voting is important and
part of “doing the right thing.�

Kennie works as a “scrapper�, which means he forages for metal that he
can then sell to recycling centers or scrap yards. He makes about “$15
to $20� a day on average and has no bank account or credit cards in his
name, The Guardian said.

Because of Texas’ ridiculous laws, Kennie won’t be able to vote for the
first time since he turned 18. He has an expired photo ID, but that
won’t work. He has his voter registration card with his address on it,
along with utility bills , but that won’t work either. He doesn’t have a
passport or driver’s license because he has never had the need for
either one.

Kennie has tried multiple times to get the right ID to be able to vote,
some trips taking up to seven hours, only to be told no for various
reasons: expired ID, incorrect last name on his birth certificate, etc.

Despite the treatment by his government, Kennie said that, although he
may have lost this round, he hasn’t given up for good.

“I do need to vote; I really do,� he said. “It’s too late for me, but
this is for the next generation. They need us to get out the people who
harm us and bring in folk who make things a little better. So I’m gonna
keep on. I’m going to stay focused, roll with the punches and do What I
got to do.�

And if the Texas GOP has its way, Kennie can probably expect to fighting
for years and elections to come.

http://tinyurl.com/p4ed38n

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