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On Thursday, the House Elections Committee will hear HB 5337, the companion to SB 16. This is the effort to require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. The list of acceptable documents includes a birth certificate and a passport (which many Texans do not have) but there is no allowance for those whose names do not match their birth certificate or those who do not have access to their birth records. Election officials can accept registrations without the necessary proof and verify citizenship through various databases, principally social security and driver’s licenses, but any voter whose citizenship cannot be verified would either have to appear with documentary proof or vote a federal-only ballot. The requirement would also apply to current voters, who could be required to appear with proof if state and local election officials are unable to verify citizenship. The bill puts a burden on both voters and election officials.
The League is opposed to this legislation and encourages its members and supporters to contact their representatives through the action alert included in this email. Here are some helpful links from our partner organizations:
The Governor’s voucher bill, SB 2, passed the House last week. The bill had been passed out of committee in the House without public testimony. The debate on the House floor was lengthy, but in the end, the Governor was able to keep his party members in line, and the bill passed. The Lt. Governor has announced that the Senate will accept the House version, so no conference committee will be needed.
The League also submitted written testimony last week in the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee opposing HB 1128, which would allow licensed election judges to carry a concealed handgun in a polling place while performing their duties, and HB 1794, which would allow concealed handguns in polling locations. Those bills remain pending in committee, so there is still time to respond to the action alerts and let the committee know that we believe polling places should be a safe place to cast a ballot.
In League,
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