Texas 's Voter Id Law

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in Texas Voter ID laws are “strict” meaning that a voter cannot vote with a valid ballot without first representing a photo ID. When a person does not present a valid photo ID, they vote with a provisional ballot that will only be counted if the voter returns with an acceptable form of identification. In late 2013, the Obama administration filed a complaint against the Voter ID law that Texas was proposing. This was in “efforts to restore a stronger federal role in protecting minority voters in Texas” (Mataconis). The administration stated that the law discriminated against those of a minority group, meanwhile Republicans said that the complaint was an intrusion on state’s rights. John Cornyn, a Republican in the Senate, said that “a politicized Justice

Texas has been through a lot of changes and constitutions. After constants debates of what the constitution should be, the current Texas constitution was established in 1876 and is the 7th constitution Texas has had. It created 3 branches of government: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The current constitution has great qualities, but it also contains a lot of weaknesses that shouldn’t be ignored for the sake of pride.

I believe that many people in Texas do not care to vote because of apathy and the majority see a system that is corrupt, full of lies and

It 's the time of the season when the stakes run high. Our democracy is currently under a fierce battle to decide its next leader, supreme court justice, and overall pathway forward. Another item on the docket of democracy is the new voter ID laws. These laws have been strengthening and becoming more widespread over the past decade. North Carolina is but the latest state to adopt this voter ID policy and with the current circumstances, few realize the fierce battle North Carolina is facing.. These new laws, passed laws in 2013, made showing an approved government issued ID mandatory if one wanted to vote this election cycle. In addition they also outlawed same day registration and the ability to vote outside one 's precinct. North Carolina’s passage was just another addition to the ongoing controversy surrounding these voter ID laws. This is an issue that has divided the nation, and now our home state. Critics of the new laws say that the laws disenfranchise potential voters, specifically those of African-American and Hispanic backgrounds. Supporters of the laws have adopted the platform that voting is a privilege and that the new laws are necessary and proper to protect against voter fraud. Whichever side you find yourself on one thing is clear, these new

Texas remains a large state with masses of diversity in addition. Despite all the Texas greatness and large land there remains one issue that stays still not immense in, which is voting. Surprisingly, only twenty-two percent of Texans vote. Furthermore, Texas is positioned second to last with the lowest voting rate. There exist plenty of reasons Texas has such a minimal voter turnout rate. One reason mentioned in the Texas Civil Health Index “transpires Texas demographic” (Texas 20). In addition, another reason befalls that people actually believe that their vote doesn’t matter. Finally, a third reason stands that people ensue uneducated. Voting will transform our lives, if citizens just speak up everything will be just the way Texans want it. Texans need to benefit of their freedom and not let only segment of the state control our appeals and needs. It is essential to vote; that will be the only way our voice could be heard; it

The I.D. requirement for voting is unnecessary. The governors argue that it would prevent fraud because voters are required to prove their identifications. However, just like John Oliver said, although I.D. voter appears to be a common sense, it may become impossible for some people.There are six types of government-issued identifications that can be used at voting polls in Texas. First of all, driver's licenses seem to be the most common method; however, not everyone drives or has a car. Secondly, Texas authorizes gun holders to carry their handguns around. Apparently, not all Texans obtain or carry weapons with them; therefore, it is not a popular choice to be used at voting polls. Thirdly, the passport can be one option; however, only a

Republican proponents claim that voter identification laws do not discourage those who are most likely to vote from turning out to the polls. They also believe voter identification laws are vitally essential to discourage voter fraud and to strengthen public trust in the electoral system (Gerken 40). Looking closer at both sides of this continuing controversy will help to clarify each sides claims and reveal any misinformation.

In recent years, the United States has been struggling to pass transgender rights, and Texas is of no means of an exception. Some of these include bathroom rights. In Texas, the bathroom bill passed through the Texas Senate, but did not survive through the Texas House, resulting in a temporary halt. Even now, the government still question the rights. It is suggested that Texas may need a bathroom bill, but would probably end in some kind of financial consequence, along with many Americans losing their jobs. The Texas Bathroom Bill, otherwise known as SB6, could also fuel disunity within our nation and cause several riots.

With respect to every election race, we are reminded that decisions are both profoundly charged typical customs of a voting based system in a democratic society and is a key procedural part of our political system. Both segments of the political elections, typical and procedural, serve key functions at all levels of our political system.

Texas has also long supported an increase in border security. In 2006, Gov. Rick Perry announced a plan that assigned Department of Public Safety personnel as well as other resources to the border to assist in law enforcement. He also added an additional $3.8 million in grant funding for state criminal justice planning funds to the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition. (Texas House of Representatives) The state’s legislative policy has been one of strict anti-immigration. In Texas’s 81st Legislative session, the issue of Voter ID arose. The Voter ID bill would require photo identification or two forms of other identification in order to vote. During the 81st session, Democrats filibustered to prevent the issue from being voted upon, it is very likely this is the only reason the bill did not pass and it likely will pass should it reappear in the 82nd session.

Analysts explained: This ruling of the Supreme Court gave 9 states power to make their own election law, which overthrew the essential principle of the Voting Rights Act. The Court believed that the decision was right because the American society had changed: “While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy the problem speaks to current conditions” (Mears & Botehlo). Right after the ruling, ‘Texas announced shortly after the decision that a voter identification law that had been blocked would go into effect immediately, and that redistricting maps there would no longer need federal approval” (Liptak). This ruling brought strong opposition, the main reason being that the Voting Rights Act had benefited the United States profoundly by protecting people who were fighting for their equal rights. Opponents pointed out that there were still people fighting for their

It includes proof of residency in the Texas State wherein the institution will determine whether the student or the parents of the student have established and maintained domicile continuously at for a year. The argument against the bill is that if the student may not be able to comply the residency requirements the student will denied admission to the institution until residency status is

I personally feel that this proposed legislation is unconstitutional and infringes on personal rights. I also feel that this proposal conflicts with Republican ideology for less government interference in the daily lives of citizens. For a political party that is so focused on defending privacy and limited government involvement, this proposed legislative directive is very contradictory and hypocritical for what the Republican Party’s ideals stand for. They are in favor of review and revision of the Patriot Act, as well as “related executive and military orders and directives that erode constitutional rights and essential liberties of citizens.” (Republican Party of Texas) The Republicans are choosey as to which constitutional rights and liberties they recognize and protect. The remaining legislative priorities target education, immigration, and tax reform. One item addressed concerning taxes is a request to “reject raising or indexing the gas tax.” (Republican Party of Texas) I agree with this proposition. If gas taxes continue to rise, drivers will undergo a hardship in transportation, especially in Austin because public transportation has not yet successfully evolved to accommodate a city of its size efficiently. Fiscally speaking, overall I agree with the Republican Party’s fundamentals of reducing spending and taxation. Overall, socially I was in opposition with the party’s principals. Specifically, I stand in opposition to the party’s attitudes towards

Our Voting System is clearly being corrupted. Problems identifying legitimate voters is much more serious than anyone is acknowledging. With identity scams on the rise, states are getting tougher on the identification requirements needed to vote. In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that a provision of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional and those counties and states previously subjected to these laws did not need approval to make changes to their voter ID laws. Eight states passed voter ID laws that year. Since then three states Georgia, Indiana and Florida require photo ID’s, eighteen other states now require some form of identification (National Conference of State Legislatures), with the other 25 only requiring signatures. In lieu of all the voter ID fraud, is it imperative for states to put in place a Voter ID Law? Will these laws put a burden on the states citizens or will they become disenfranchised if they don’t have the proper ID (Rodriguez, US. Election Assistant Commission), and is it just another hurdle that voters will have to leap over to vote for who or what they believe in?

They argued that, “The Court’s decision passes off private speech as government speech and, in doing so, establishes a precedent that threatens private speech that government finds displeasing” (Alito, Walker v SCV). The dissenting opinion used an example of a test; if you were to watch cars drive past you on a highway and look at all of the license plates, you would see license plates that had the name of a high school, university, sorority, company etc., and you would not think that “these sentiments reflected the State of Texas” but people who own the cars (Alito, Walker v SVC). Justice Alito and the other Justices described the license plates as “little billboards” where the government has government speech on it but there is also room for the owner of the car to show their own messages on the specialty plate. They further contended that the Board of Motor Vehicles of Texas was partaking in viewpoint discrimination because the State of Texas was not allowing the messages of a private group to be on the “little billboard” because some people may find the speech offensive. The minority also explained that the Pleasant Grove City v Summum case is not a valid argument because of three factors; The history of public monuments and the Texas license plate program cannot be more different, “The Texas specialty plate program also does not exhibit the “selective receptivity”