Voter ID trial opens with Feds warning 1.4 million Texas voters could be disenfranchised
WASHINGTON – A federal trial opened Monday on the legality of Texas’ controversial new voter ID law with the Justice Department warning that the law could disenfranchise more than a million would-be voters, and a top state election official testifying that nearly 300 ballots submitted in May were cast in the name of dead people.
The case is being closely watched nationwide as a test of restrictive voter ID laws.
A Justice Department lawyer, Elizabeth Westfall, argued that the law has the potential to prevent 1.4 million Texans from voting who are eligible but lack the required photo identification — a disproportionate number of them minorities.
Previewing the case the federal government will lay out during the five-day trial, she asserted that the law was enacted over the unified opposition of state lawmakers who represent minority constituents; that it was highly unusual for the state Senate to set aside a rule requiring 2/3 support before bringing a bill to the floor; and that the new law purports to address a problem that is not widespread, in a way that wouldn’t actually curb vote fraud.
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Voter ID trial opens with Feds warning 1.4 million Texas voters could be disenfranchised
This is a topic that LIGHTS ME UP! I mean angry to the core. This is the year 2012; there is NOTHING that you can do without an ID. Here are a few examples;
● Driver’s license
● Buy alcohol
● Buy cigarettes
● Apply for welfare
● Apply for food stamps
● Cash a check
● Purchase a firearm
● Make any large credit card purchase
● Open a bank account
● Rent an apartment
● Be admitted to a hospital
● Get a marriage license
I’m certain there are other things that Americans do that requires an ID. I just don’t understand how having to produce an ID to vote once every couple of years, is somehow a problem, and, as some try to claim, is *racist*. Talk about the duplicity of the Democrats.
Oh, wait, that 1.4 million Texas voters that could be disenfranchised are either DEAD or, in many cases, ILLEGALS and not entitled to vote anyway.
I have heard so many excuses for not having a photo ID;
● I don’t drive
● I can’t drive
● I don’t have a way to go get a license to drive
● No habla gringo
The list of excuses for not having a photo ID are numerous, and lame, to say the very least. You don’t have to possess a driver’s license, you don’t have to drive, all you have to do is show up at the DMV with some form of ID, a birth certificate, 2 or 3 bills IN YOUR NAME that can verify your address and so forth.
You don’t have a way to get to the DMV? You find a way to get to bingo, the store, the bar, the park, whatever the case may be. If you want a legitimate photo ID, well, where there is a will there is a way.
Unless the *no habla gringo* part comes into play, OR, you can’t get an ID to use when you vote because you’re a DEAD DEMOCRAT … just sayin’.
When it comes to an ID card, a pictured ID card to be used as proof of self when you vote, like the ‘old folks’ used to say; that old dog won’t hunt! And if you’ll notice, it’s the Dems that are raising all the hell about voter ID.
You don’t suppose the Dems are trying to run some ILLEGAL votes in there do you? 
You forget one thing Fred. This is the days of Nanny State. They will rule that it hurts the poor and force us to forget the whole idea.
I didn’t forget anything, if Conservatives can’t figure that one out for themselves, they aren’t much of a Conservative…
this whole topic is baloney - the Dems do it!
They have designated people that go to old age homes, have people there just sign absetee balots, thery designate others to vote in dead peoples names…..etc.
Made me furious that when I go (re) married in April this year, my wife had to register to vote in new county (my place) we had just come from mariage bureau, and had to have handful of ID because we needed to change my wife’s spelling of her first name on the cert, that woman at bureau refused to change w/o ‘documentation….(let me add we had to go back to bank three times with numerous ID to have my wife on my account, me on hers) Anyway my wife was handed a card, to fill out, she did - and handed it back along with 5-6 pieces of ID - to which the owman replied, oh, we don’t need that - handed the ID back and said she would get card in mail………….in Texas!
Fred: My wife went to the Pharmacy the other day to pick up a prescription for me and she had to show her driver’s license in order to get the meds … even tho my wife and I have known the pharmacist since the pharmacist’s conception! So — you can add another reason you have to show an ID to your list!
You know, I think the Feds think they are STILL reconstructing the South!
JDL
It’s high time to reconstruct the Feds …
Can we reconstruct the South back to the way it was? The Feds have gone too far.
Utter bullshit.
All latin countries have a mandatory voter/medical card for all their citizens.
You lose it, you are in trouble.
It is their most valuable possession.
They know they are blowing smoke up your ass when someone says they can’t vote in the USA because they have to show an ID.
Utter Obama bullshit.
Hold that bastard president of ours responsible for this crap!!!
You nailed it SEÑOR Chuck, in order to cast a ballot in Mexico you MUST show your government issued ID card. If you do not have one, go home because your not going to vote. It is what it is.
Maybe we should have attempted to vote in the Mexican Presidential election
Why not, THE THEY? (illegals) are voting in our elections anyway…! And it is not just Mexican either, it’s Chinese, Brazilians, Salvadorians, Houndrians and anyone who can obtain a TEXAS ISSUED PHOTO ID” Card.
Texans know what they look like, they look just like a Texas Issued DL, except it says for identification purposes only.
Glad to have you back Fred! As we all know, this is nothing but a scam excuse by the left in order to insure illegals manage to vote and I don’t see how anyone can claim otherwise. We need IDs for almost everything we do and yet when it comes to our most important duty as citizens we don’t have to prove a thing.
Texas is now under fire and recently New Hampshire overrode the governor’s veto and implemented a voter ID law, so far we haven’t seen backlash from the feds but I am sure it is coming.
Rick Perry needs to tell the feds this will be law in Texas like it or not. Texas can get along without federal monies and if they want to get testy about it, I suppose a volunteer Texas militia could be raised in 24 to 48 hrs.
I agree this is absolute BS and nothing but a loophole to stuff the ballot boxes with lots of dem votes. If requiring ID to vote disenfranchises poor or minorities, than why the hell do these same jerk politicians require an ID for their constituents to visit them. An ID is required to get welfare, but that doesn’t seem to stop the leeching scumbags from producing one to get their free stuff.
I have a solution and I am willing to compromise. If a person does not have an ID at all, then require them to produce just their voter cards. However, if the person does have an ID, then they MUST show it before voting. In other words, if John Q. Brown has a voter ID card and a quick cross check with the DMV shows that Mr. Brown does indeed have either a DL or a state ID card, then he must produce it. This way, how can they cry disenfranchisement if all we are requiring is that they show the form of ID that the records show they already have. Since very very few voters actually do NOT have any form of photo ID, voter fraud would be minimal.
I am not saying I totally agree with this, and I would like to see a photo ID as a requirement, but for now, it would make all the screams of disenfranchisement null and void. However, I am sure they would still come up with some other idiotic argument, such as requiring voters to show photo ID might cause unnessary hand cramps from having to pull an ID out of their pockets, or maybe requirement to carry an ID as disenfranchisment as we all know minorities are too lazy to carry anything.
What I would really like to see if someone who genuinely wants to honestly particpate in the American voting process and does NOT have an ID. This person just does not plain exist.
This is nothing more than a ploy to keep our voting system on par with that of a third world dictatorship.
I work for a national retail chain. If you return merchandise without a receipt, you must present an approved government ID card. That card needs to be scanned or information from it entered into the computer. If the customer doesn’t have an ID, the system refuses the return and, as a manager, there’s no way I can override it.
Most of US WITH ID’s shouldn’t vote anyways because they call themselves Independent…which just means they lack any BALLS…or whatever gals call BALLS…
I just took a Independent poll that showed 80% of US lacked any sort of BALLS whatsoever…this included ‘likely’ an ‘unlikely’ voters…
PLU from SSF
The 15th Amendment says only “citizens” can vote. So, what is the friggin problem? Registration-show ID proving your a citizen; Voting-show ID proving your a citizen
I do not think this is unreasonable and resent that corrupt Justice (use the term loosly) Department would spend Taxpayer dollars on such a stupid law suit.
Welcome back Fred. I was going to bring up the 15th Amendment but Dick Robie beat me to it. I can’t understand why no one else in our decaying Government hasn’t mentioned the 15th as the primary reason you must have some sort of valid I.D.
I had to bring a photo ID to vote last time I voted (primaries were last month). I used my driver license. Government issued photo ID. What’s the big deal? Jeesh. I thought that was just plain common sense.