After spending the week focused on House Bill 218, the “voter ID” bill that requires presentation of a photo ID to vote (which will probably result in lower voter turnout), I just now got around to closely reading its uglier, smellier, brain-damaged cousin: HB 626 by Republican Phil King of Weatherford. This bill requires proof of citizenship for voter registration, and get this: It will mandate presentation of a birth certificate (not a photocopy but the actual thing) or U.S. citizenship papers or an unexpired passport. You know all those ways we’ve tried to boost voter registration, things like registration drives on college campuses and in poor neighborhoods, or while you’re at the driver’s license office, etc.? They’ll be gone. Bye bye.
The Statesman‘s John Kelso beat us to the best description of what will happen: “This would kill the common practice of voter registration drives in supermarket parking lots. When was the last time you took your passport to an H-E-B to pick up a roll of paper towels?”
Welcome to Texas, where only the well-educated and affluent are allowed to vote. Hmmm … sounds mighty familiar. Perhaps Travis County should only set up voting booths in West Austin in the next election.
HB 626 will be debated on the House floor on Monday.
UPDATE: The Senate State Affairs Committee is hearing testimony on HB 218 as I type this (at 10:13am Monday); HB 626 has been postponed to the end of today’s House calendar. Remember, you can watch the House on cable Channel 6, and you can watch both the House and the Senate committee hearing on streaming video on the Capitol Web site.
This article appears in April 27 • 2007.