Photo Voter ID bill passes House

Contributed

The Texas House of Representatives passed a voter ID bill April 24 and sent the measure onto the Senate.

State Representative Betty Brown (R-Terrell) authored the legislation which would require photo identification to vote in Texas.  The Texas House of Representatives voted 76 to 68 to pass House Bill 218.

Rep. Nathan Macias of District 73 and who represents Bandera County in Austin, is a coauthor of the bill.

House Bill 218 would codify what most Texans do already which is provide some form of photo identification to cast a ballot in Texas. The bill has a fail-safe system for eligible voters over 80 years of age by exempting these individuals from this legislation.
Since 2004 Attorney General Greg Abbott has prosecuted several cases of voter fraud in Texas, including one case in Bee County in South Texas where the accused posed as their deceased mother to vote after her mother had passed away.

“House Bill 218 will ensure that an eligible voter’s ballot is not cancelled out by someone who is casting a ballot fraudulently. 
\This is a safeguard which is supported overwhelmingly in Texas and long overdue,” said Hans Klingler, Spokesman for the Texas GOP.

House Bill 218 will now move to the Texas Senate where it will be considered in the coming weeks.  Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst has signaled publicly his support for the bill.