With less than two weeks before voter registration ends for the November 2014 election, 645,418 Travis County residents (the total county population is now more than 1.1 million) are registered voters.
The Voter Registration Division of the Travis County Tax Office participated in National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Members of local political and civic groups have also been assisting the get-out-the-vote effort by becoming volunteer deputy registrars, registering people to vote during block walks and community events. On the deadline to register – Monday, Oct. 6 – all ThunderCloud Subs locations will provide tables for voter registration from 10am to 10pm, and the County Clerk’s Office – 5501 Airport – will be open from 7:30am to midnight.
Potential voters must be registered to vote at their current address, and the name on their voter registration must match their current ID. Texans can check to see if they’re registered to vote and if their information is current online, and voters already registered to vote in Travis County who need to update their name or address may also do so online (votetexas.gov/register-to-vote). State law requires anyone who isn’t currently registered to vote in their county to fill out a paper voter registration application. These mail-in applications can be found around town, including at all post offices, public libraries, and tax offices.
This November is the first general election to be affected by 2011’s Senate Bill 14, which requires voters to present an approved form of photo ID when they vote. There are now seven acceptable forms of photo ID: 1) Texas driver’s license, 2) DPS-issued Texas Personal Identification Card, 3) DPS-issued Texas concealed handgun license, 4) U.S. military photo ID, 5) U.S. citizenship certificate with photo, 6) U.S. passport, and 7) DPS-issued Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC). EICs are free, but those who wish to obtain one must visit a DPS office. People with disabilities are exempt from the photo ID requirement, and are allowed to vote by mail.
The U.S. Department of Justice, along with various civil rights organizations, has fought SB 14 as well as other similar laws across the country, claiming that they unfairly discriminate against minority voters. The DOJ returned to federal district court in Texas at the end of August to challenge SB 14, arguing that the law is intentionally discriminatory. Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos heard closing arguments Monday, and is expected to make her decision after election day.
This article appears in September 26 • 2014.