Voter ID Legislation To Pass Texas Senate In 2009

Updated January 19, 2009 11:00 AM

Republican Joe Straus, who is taking over the Texas House Speaker's Chair from hard right-winger Tom Craddick for the 2009 legislative session with the support of of every Democrat in the Texas House, commented to reporters on Friday, 16 January 2009, that he favors Voter Photo Identification

The Texas Senate on Wednesday, 14 January 2009, voted 18-13, along party lines, to exempt voter identification legislation from the longstanding “Two-Thirds” Rule. This rule requires that 21 senators must support a measure before it can be brought to the floor. Only one Republican, State Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas), broke ranks to join 12 Democrats in the near party-line vote to oppose the change to the two-thirds rule. The other 18 Republicans voted to exempt any bill brought forward in the Texas Senate that would require voters to show a government-issued photo ID at the polls before being allowed to vote.

Republican members of the Senate voted to exempt voter photo ID legislation from the two-thirds rule, similar to the way Congressional Redistricting was exempted by Republicans in 2003, over strong opposition from Democrats. Under the change, voter ID legislation can be brought up for a vote on the Senate floor with the approval of only 16 senators, not the 21 required under the customary two-thirds rule. Democrats could block votes under the usual two-thirds rule — and did so on the voter ID bill two years ago. Debate over voter photo ID in 2007 paralyzed the State Senate for weeks before the bill was rejected.

Wednesday's change to Texas Senate two-thirds rule will only apply to the voter ID bill; redistricting was dropped from the two-thirds exemption resolution before the final vote. Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to amend the voter ID two-thirds rule exemption resolution to also include exemptions on legislation for fully funding child health insurance, improved benefits for veterans, restoring funds to unemployment compensation, insurance rate regulation, foreclosure protection, tuition re-regulation and public education priority — to get the same majority-vote treatment as on voter ID. Republicans, as a block, voted against each program - a fact that that will surely be an issue that Democratic candidates can use against their Republican opponents during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles.

With the Texas House made up of 74 Democrats and 76 Republicans, after the 2008 election, the Voter ID bill will face a tougher fight in the Texas House. Republican Joe Straus, who is taking over the Speaker's Chair from hard right-winger Tom Craddick for the 2009 legislative session with the support of of every Democrat in the Texas House, commented to reporters on Friday, 16 January 2009, that he favors Voter Photo Identification:

Straus, who voted for the Voter ID bill in 2007, stated he thinks another examination of whether photo IDs are needed to combat voter fraud is appropriate. He said he does not yet know whether there are sufficient votes in the House to pass a bill.

The Voter ID bill, introduced in the House during the 2007 legislative session, (HB 218) passed by a vote of 76 to 69 when the House was made up of 69 Democrats and 81 Republicans. Two Republicans voted against HR 218. The voter ID bill introduced in the Senate during the 2007 legislative session was successfully blocked from advancing to the floor for a vote by Senate Democrats.

Read on: No Evidence Of Voter Fraud