Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. (photo: AP)
02 November 13
s early voting begins in Texas, the state's new, strict voter ID law has thus far flagged a judge, gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, and another state senator as potentially illegitimate voters. Attorney General Greg Abbott (R), voter ID's most strident defender, was also flagged as a suspicious voter under his own law's strict criteria.
Abbott was flagged because his license lists his name
as "Gregory Wayne Abbott" while his voter registration record simply
calls him "Greg Abbott."
Longtime voters, particularly married women
who have taken a spouse's name, are being stopped at the polls because
their names on their drivers' licenses differ from their voter
registration forms. Thanks to an amendment added by Wendy Davis, voters
who clearly have "substantially similar" names can still cast a regular
ballot by signing an affidavit affirming their identity. If the law had
gone through unmodified as Abbott originally supported, he would have
disenfranchised himself.
Though Davis' amendment will allow many legitimate
voters to vote, the process to determine "substantial similarity" and
organize affidavit-signing will inevitably clog up Texas electoral
processes with unnecessary confusion. Come November 5, Texas' polling
places may resemble Florida's in 2012, where Republicans' election law
changes created marathon lines and pollworker confusion.
The law has also affected countless ordinary Texans
who do not attract as much media coverage as Davis or Abbott. People of
color, low-income voters, seniors, and students are most likely to lack
the required ID and may not have their votes counted as a result. While
Texas officials claim it is easy for these people to get a free voter
ID, just 41 out of 1.4 million eligible Texas voters have received one as of the middle of last month. ThinkProgress interviewed one 84-year-old woman who was denied the ID three times despite providing extensive proof of her identity.
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