Texas State Voter ID Bill

Amendment to Voter ID Bill

‎"Hopefully, they'll support the amendment that requires the check of citizenship status for new applicants as well (Van Taylor is offering it from the floor; Call your Representatives to support BOTH. And, if for some reason, Straus does NOT allow the amendment to be brought from the floor, then be sure to mark it as a black mark for EVERY state rep that supported Straus in Caucus!"

Rep. Van Taylor to Offer Amendment to Voter ID Bill

Amendment enforces citizenship eligibility standards for voter registration applicants

AUSTIN – Today Representative Van Taylor (R-Plano) announced that he will file an amendment to Senate Bill 14, which will institute a one-time verification  of identification and citizenship requirement to the voter registration application system. The process outlined in the amendment will allow new applicants to provide proof of citizenship through a variety of documents either in person or by fax, email, or mail. Residents currently registered to vote will have their citizenship verified through a database currently maintained by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. If citizenship or identity is not verifiable, the application will receive notice that they are on a list of suspended applications until identification and citizenship is provided. This amendment closely follows a program implemented in Georgia and approved by the Justice Department last year. (See the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article: 

"We need to stop voter fraud before election day,” said Representative Taylor.  "The Fifteenth Amendment guarantees our right to vote and voter registration fraud diminishes our democratic process. Verifying identity and citizenship will go a long way to preventing voter fraud before ballots are cast - when it is too late to rectify. The outrageous revelations of widespread registration fraud in Harris County last year makes this common sense measure urgently necessary."

The amendment mandates that the Secretary of State shall verify citizenship of applicants attempting to register to vote for the first time using theTexas Department of Public Safety (DPS) database or other available databases. If the Secretary cannot verify that an applicant is a citizen, the applicant is placed on a list of voters requiring proof of citizenship. The Secretary of State will create notification procedures to notify an applicant of the requirement to provide proof of citizenship. The applicant then has 90 days to provide proof of citizenship by submitting to the voter registrar by mail, electronic scan, fax, or in person. If an applicant does not provide proof of citizenship within 90 days, the applicant will be placed on a list of people ineligible to vote until proof of citizenship is provided. A voter placed on this list will still be eligible to vote if the person provides proof of identity and citizenship at the polling place.

Proof of Citizenship can be verified by providing:

1.      Passport - unexpired or expired or a copy

2.      Birth certificate along with a government issued photo ID - original or copy

3.      Certificate of naturalization (or copy) along with a government issued photo ID (or copy)

Once citizenship is established the applicant will be permanently listed as a citizen for voter registration purposes.

See the North Texas Navigator Article on Voter Photo ID Requirement in the Texas Senate Passed