A Peek at the Rancorous Fight Over the Voter ID Bill, Which Passed the Texas House Last Night

Above is a few minutes' worth of the lengthy back-and-forth that took place down in Austin yesterday (and last night), as D's and R's fought over SB 14 -- which, of course, demands that a voter present photo identification before being allowed to cast a ballot. Among the most vocal...

By Robert Wilonsky

March 24, 2011

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Above is a few minutes' worth of the lengthy back-and-forth that took place down in Austin yesterday (and last night), as D's and R's fought over SB 14 -- which, of course, demands that a voter present photo identification before being allowed to cast a ballot. Among the most vocal opponents of the legislation was state Rep. Rafael Anchía, who'd managed to delay the inevitable earlier this week by asking for a clarification about the bill's details and said, "My fear is that this bill is not going to increase the integrity of elections, but instead is going to keep legitimately eligible Texans from the polls."

Yesterday the Dallas Democrat tried to derail the bill by insisting one of its provisions -- that anyone who wants a Texas-issued ID card can get one for free -- will drain as much as $14 million from the Texas Mobility Fund during the the next biennium. Said Anchía in a last-ditch statement, "Think of all the revenue that's going to be lost when people figure out that they can get the state ID for free instead of paying $16. Why would anyone spend $16 when they can get their state ID for free? This is money that's supposed to be used for building roads, and raiding the fund is a clear violation of ARTICLE III(49-k)(f) of the Texas Constitution." That didn't fly -- the bill passed 101-48, with the D's coming out L's.

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