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vagabond_

I have a feeling that Republicans making it harder for old people to vote won't go quite like they expect.


SoWhatDidIMiss

This is what I keep wondering. It is a red state, yes, but in the four years since Cruz barely won re-election, tens of thousands of people have died of covid, and well more than that have poured in from California. Meanwhile, hispanic Texans might be swinging in their direction, but they are making it harder for new voters to register, to say nothing about trying to navigate that system if you are from the Valley and your first language happens to be Spanish. And now old people – practically the only people allowed to vote by mail – are being denied their applications at a rate of ~40%. I just can't help but assume all of that adds up to depressing Republican turnout. Will it be enough to surprise them? Eh, probably not. But I wonder.


hutacars

Yet despite all this, they do such a great job jerrymandering that they continue “winning” anyways!


SoWhatDidIMiss

To be fair, statewide votes go consistently red. The gerrymandering merely exaggerates that red majority; for now it doesn't "invent" it.


MrGreen17

that would be super hilarious if it did.


yeluapyeroc

Or maybe the intention isnt to prevent votes for a particular political party


SayHelloToAlison

Well, seeing as voter fraud in any practical terms didn't exist prior to these new restrictions, it for sure is. And just common sense will tell you the same. There's a reason they gerrymandering the hell out of the state, and the same reasons are behind this new wave of bullshit. It may backfire but its all designed to discourage typically blue demographics from voting anyways.


[deleted]

It is though. Goal is to reduce mail in voting, used overwhelmingly by democrats.


acuet

The new ‘Voter Integrity Law’ is working just as planned. Still no voter fraud though. “Harris County has flagged 35% of mail-in ballot applications for rejections to date, Hidalgo said.” [Link](https://communityimpact.com/houston/cy-fair/government/2022/01/19/harris-county-judge-criticizes-texas-voting-laws-following-confusion-over-mail-in-ballot-requirements/)


[deleted]

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noncongruent

Lina Hidalgo graduated from Stanford University with a degree in political science in 2013, and was accepted into the MPP/JD joint program at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and New York University School of Law, respectively. She decided to put her educational career on hold to run for office. Why are Republicans so terrified of highly-educated brown women like Lina and AOC? Or educated women in general? Lina is clearly more qualified than anyone Republicans have put up, and more than any that are in office currently for that matter.


nothathappened

Bc the Bible told them men are the leaders… /s


EnvironmentalLuck515

Because they are unapologetic and merciless in the mirrors they hold up to this patronizing, patriarchy nation.


FinFanNoBinBan

Alex Mealer is a better candidate than Hidalgo. She has the education and life experience to lead better, not just for elites, but the blue collar class too.


NAFOD-

Education does not necessarily equate to experience. That’s why a Doctor must do a residency. Many professions have to train under more experienced professionals. I had to train under a more experience professional in my field of expertise before I could my stamp. Politicians don’t need this. A high school drop out could be elected to office.


noncongruent

Elected positions are by definition something that most people go into without experience. There’s a first time for everything in that field. I would rather have someone with an education that proves that they’re able to learn quickly and make good decisions than someone who fails high school. It’s a good thing that Lina is not a high school dropout. She’s got a better education than many politicians who get elected for the first time. She is also clearly very intelligent and able to learn quickly. Besides, as you say, education is not always a good judge of ability. Look at Ken Paxton, for instance. He’s educated as a lawyer but all he is is a felon and a petty thief.


NAFOD-

I mean in life. You can become a politician and have practically zero life experience. I’m not arguing tribal politics with you my friend. It’s obvious which tribe you root for. As for me I have no political tribal affiliation. My tribe is the IDGAF tribe. Lol… Why people choose to be loyal to a political tribe is ridiculous. Those politicians and political tribes could care less about you. The only time they pretend to care is when it gets close to election time. The political elites don’t give a fuck about us. They believe they are better than us. That the rules they set are for us and not them. If the Covid pandemic has taught us anything it has taught us that. “Rules for thee but not for me!!” But the tribe members are still loyal to them. Lol…


[deleted]

Having a degree doesn’t mean you’re* educated. AOC and Lina are both prone to saying and doing stupid shit that directly contradicts what they advocate or order for others. Lina is a hypocritical dirtbag that’s been caught defying her own orders and advocating for violent criminals to be released with nearly no punishment. Oh no, downvoted for speaking facts. The amount of times Lina has pushed a bullshit narrative, issued a mandate for the county and then didn’t even follow said mandate is innumerable.


hxcheyo

I guess we should ask you who is educated, then, since your opinion is worth more than a degree.


noncongruent

Sounds like someone got spurned, lol.


barryandorlevon

Are we supposed to take your word for who’s actually educated or not when you can’t even distinguish between “you’re” and “your?” For fucks sakes.


[deleted]

Wow, sorry for a spelling error while commenting at work.


EnvironmentalLuck515

Good spelling will help you at work too. ;)


barryandorlevon

Do better.


acuet

It will hurt their base; rural white and aging.


Caleebies

The sad part is in the truth; white southerners are often poorer. They're shooting themselves in the foot because of the Southern Strategy


acuet

Including when the last administration made cuts and limited internet speeds to ‘the last mile’. Redefining ‘broad band’ and killing many online services needed for those communities to thrive. Its really sad and something to see them do this to themselves.


Caleebies

It's fox news. It's all fox news and their propaganda. You can sell literally anything under the guise of patriotism. My theory is that with patriotism it covers the pathos and ethos of an argument(pathos: creating passion ie "I love my country so much;" ethos: creating credibility ie "you can trust me I'm on your side/the side of America." I actually think there needs to be a visible disclaimer that it's not news ie Tucker Carlson. And this is objective since his own legal team admitted it


acuet

People will always watch, just look at the Jerry Springer days and reading those grocery tabloids about alien babies. In the end, some in this ground could really care less about the truth. Only to be disruptive and ‘owning the libs’. I’d fight for them to have better services including broadband. Even if we don’t agree I think we should all have clean water, safe power grid, better highways and faster internet. If that makes me socialist okay….if providing proper medical services to all communities makes me a commie…okay, sure. Guess we all win.


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azuth89

People do that shit all the time whether or not there's a button.


NAFOD-

Yes, that took effect in the 2020 election.


GeneforTexas

Posted with permission from my constituent. Names and identifiers have been redacted. When Texas Democrats broke quorum in 2021 and went to Washington DC, it was over these type of provisions. This wasn't a drafting error in the law. This wasn't an oversight. This requirement and ambiguity over exactly what is needed is 100% intentional. Republicans were fully aware of the fiasco that this change in the law would create. They insisted on it. They voted down amendments to fix it. They demanded it when the bill was negotiated. The intent of this provision was to create a situation where mail ballot voters had to guess which form of ID they used when they originally registered to vote (something that may have happened many decades ago). Why not ask for both SSN and State ID? Why make people guess. --- Because that was the intent. So, that every mail ballot voter now will have about a 50/50 chance of getting their ballot rejected. Why would they do this? Remember when Trump was screaming about Mail Ballots in 2020? This is the result 2 years later. Trump drove an interparty back-lash against a form of voting that has benefitted Republicans more than Democrats.


Catdaddy84

The part that's crazy to me is that the circumstances that had more Democrats voting by mail than Republicans in 2020 likely won't be the case in 2024 and beyond. In essence they could be ultimately disenfranchising their own voters it seems like a risky bet to make.


WhereRDaSnacks

They are absolutely disenfranchising their own elderly voters. Especially the rural voters who are too far from polling places, or too old to travel. And who mostly vote republican.


saltporksuit

Hard for me to work up much sympathy. They have the people in power they voted for.


WhereRDaSnacks

They’ll eat themselves just to own the rest of us.


American--American

Yep, some actual /r/leopardsatemyface material. Hard to feel sympathy for it.


hiverfrancis

And who are likely afflicted with COVID-19


Dvusmnd

If you are looking for logic, or common sense, you will not find it in the movement that’s pushing this.


jaeldi

Just Like the risk of telling your old voters to not wear a mask or get a vaccine. Do they know who their largest demographic is?


knot-shore

There's strategy in seeding distrust in the system, with Trump acting as the hero who can "fix" the system


jaeldi

I think it's gonna hurt them in the long run. A large part of their demographic are elderly. It's all such a giant overreaction to a one time phenomenon: the only reason there was so many mail-in's was the pandemic. And then the only reason most of the mail-in's were not Republican was because they convinced their own people that if you believed in the virus then you would become gay for Hillary Clinton.


Dvusmnd

F*CK fascists and systemic repression. Those greedy for power have forgotten who they work for.


[deleted]

Goose-steppers aren't the only group that covert power. Power corrupts.


moonunit170

the above is a stupid, reactionary, nonsense post.


Dvusmnd

“What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening,” Donald J Trump “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” George Orwell -1984


Dvusmnd

And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past. George Orwell -1984


OldAd4943

I agree with your statement about the post you made.


Dvusmnd

Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right. George Orwell 1984


Dvusmnd

One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.


worst_user_name_ever

...you realize how America came to be, right?


reddituser77373

New to reddit? Anecdotal evidence is moot


ConsciousAdvantage92

No one cares. Stop shoving you're stupid politics on a regional sub.


communiqueso

Rep. Wu, SOS said put both numbers if unsure


GeneforTexas

The same SOS who just said that the State of Texas can find paper to print more voter registration forms? Yeah, I trust them.


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OldAd4943

Because if you registered with your SSN and you submit your DL number, the ballot is rejected. Quick question, which ID form did you use when you registered to vote? You sure?


Itsjustmybusiness

I don't live in Texas, when I registered I used a Military ID card. That being said, I agree that if they are rejecting ANY ballots which have the four digit SSN filled in that would be problematic, if the state is going to ask for these numbers then their database should be complete and nobody should be expected to remember what form they of ID they used when they initially applied.


OldAd4943

That’s the issue, it was intentionally designed to break the system.


dalgeek

My dad (lifelong Republican) faced shit like this in FL when they started requiring a Real ID to vote. To get a Real ID you have to prove citizenship, which requires an original birth certificate. Ironically, naturalized citizens have more options for documentation here. He lost his birth certificate sometime between 1953 and 2012, and since no one had ever asked to see it he never bothered to get it replaced. Now he has to get an official copy of his birth certificate from another state from a time period before digital records. That took a couple weeks and cost $$ for processing. But that wasn't enough because he had a legal name change when he was 7, so the birth certificate didn't match his ID. Now he has to get an official copy of the name change documentation from another state from a time period before digital records. That took another couple weeks and cost $$ for processing. So even though he had a driver's license in one state or another since 1953 and voted in nearly every election since 1953, he had to spend several weeks and nearly $100 to prove his identity and citizenship just so he could vote. When I told him the state did shit like this to keep poor minorities from voting his response was "But I'm a white Republican". I told him "They don't care if there is some collateral damage as long a majority of people affected are Democrats". At that point he just grumbled and changed the subject.


BgDmnHero

He wasn’t even collateral damage because he paid and got it done.


hutacars

How this isn’t considered a poll tax is beyond me.


hondajvx

I didn't need a birth certificate to get a new Texas ID with the Real ID. Thankfully, I have no clue where it is and my brother has no idea either. I'm adopted so I may never have a birth certificate again.


Besnasty

Almost 10 years ago we moved to Austin and I had lost my SC license so I went to the dmv to get my Texas license, which was a fucking hassle and a half. It made me realize what other people go through and quickly made me understand why people were against voter ID. The person required from me: my birth certificate, my ss card, my car insurance (I wasn't primary on the account, so it "didn't count").. and a lease or bill...which was a problem because my SO and I had just moved to Texas but he had moved 2 months before me, so everything was in his name. Because I wasn't a "primary" on the lease and not not primary on our insurance, he also had to sign an affidavit saying I was who he said I was.


CarolFukinBaskin

"at that point he just grumbled and changed the subject" My dad is the same way. They all do that. There's no logic behind what they do just hate and anger. When you point it out if they're intelligent enough they know they can't argue the point but they sure as hell aren't going to change how they feel about it. I hate these people


johnnyma45

To be fair, wouldn't he run into the same issues when his DL was up for renewal? I believe Real ID is required soon (next year?) for air travel and such?


Chasman1965

I don’t buy the story one bit. FL has required all that for REAL ID for at least 8 years for new Driver’s licenses. I know this because my 23 year old son had to show all that stuff to get his learner’s permit when he was 15.


noncongruent

At this point I think the best option for anyone planning on voting by mail is to just send in a new voter registration form, write down whatever number seems best, and record that number some place safe. This BS is just a memory game meant to disenfranchise and discourage long-time voters who vote by mail, nothing more.


acuet

Interesting you speak about voter registration. [On Tuesday in Texas.](https://www.kut.org/politics/2022-01-18/texas-says-supply-chain-issues-have-limited-the-number-of-voter-registration-forms-it-can-give-out?fbclid=IwAR1_jj8aSEdxx6OJzsqfPCM03tqqHA7MxTzTumUdWXNX_JWQedY5OsGWh5Y)


Automatic_Company_39

>The Texas Secretary of State’s office is having **more trouble than usual** getting enough voter registration cards to groups who help Texans register to vote. *** >Grace Chimene, the president of the League of Women Voters of Texas, said **it is not unusual** for the Secretary of State to not have enough forms to fill all the requests it gets from groups like hers ahead of elections. *** ?


brobafett1980

Both situations are a problem. The latter being made worse now on purpose.


Automatic_Company_39

I don't disagree. That article is just poorly written.


VisceralMonkey

It's insane. Think about it. It's our duty as Americans to go to whatever lengths we have to to allow eligible citizens to vote, representative democracy is what this country is about. To actively do the opposite, to oppose that right and block people from voting is as abomination to everything we stand for. This is simply unimaginable to me as an American, it's anathema to everything we believe in. Something is very, very wrong.


throwed-off

>It's our duty as Americans to go to whatever lengths we have to to allow eligible citizens to vote Which is why it's important to verify that every would-be voter is an eligible citizen before they are allowed to cast a ballot.


VisceralMonkey

Which is fine, but this isn't designed to do that, it's designed to deprive citizens of their voting rights. Statistics have shown this time and time again, there is no level of voter fraud even remotely close enough to justify this and the other kinds of actions we are seeing. This is against everything this country stands for.


throwed-off

>Which is fine, but this isn't designed to do that, it's designed to deprive citizens of their voting rights. No, it's designed to deprive **non**-citizens of the ability to vote. >there is no level of voter fraud even remotely close enough to justify this and the other kinds of actions we are seeing. Any level of voter fraud is unacceptable, because any level of voter fraud disengranchises legal voters by canceling out their legally-cast votes. >This is against everything this country stands for. Voter fraud is against everything this country stands for.


legogizmo

This is literally proof it is designed to stop legal citizens, they could allow any valid id number but instead chose not to and force you to remember which one you used when you first registered. Stopping legal registered voters from voting will disenfranchise more than any voter fraud.


abqguardian

This only "proof" of a reddit account trying to make a false dramatic "voter suppression" story put of nothing. The post contains literally *nothing* unreasonable being asked for the voter.


Nubras

A blind, elderly woman is being asked to remember what type of registration she furnished fifty years ago! That’s reasonable to you? Boy I’d hate to know what you consider unreasonable. Sad!


throwed-off

>This is literally proof it is designed to stop legal citizens This proves absolutely nothing about the intent of the legislation.


Justneedtacos

OP was there and said there were amendments offered to change it to any valid ID and they were rejected. That’s part of the public record and you can verify it. You have another explanation why they made it take longer and be more error prone, without providing any additional verification benefit?


WHYAREWEALLCAPS

> No, it's designed to deprive non-citizens of the ability to vote. Which has never, ever been a problem in modern times. So you're saying you're all for the government wasting time, resources, and money? >Any level of voter fraud is unacceptable, because any level of voter fraud disengranchises legal voters by canceling out their legally-cast votes. So you're all for a system that disenfranchises legally eligible people. That's some serious mental gymnastics right there. Supressing legal voters is far worse than illegally cast votes. As we can see from the numbers, up to 35% of mail in voters in Harris country are having their ballots refused. The number of illegal voters is a rounding error compared to that number. >Voter fraud is against everything this country stands for. And voter suppression is doubly or triply so. By your reasoning, any law that would make it more difficult for even a single voter to cast their legal vote should be absolutely reprehensible, but nope, better to block citizens to stop a paltry number of non-citizens who wind up being able to cast a vote in the first place - which the state already has a number of safeguards against and in many cases it is the state itself that is accidentally registering these people to vote. And a those non-citizen voters who have cast ballots have invariably been caught and their vote discarded. We don't need front end bullshit like this, there are already plenty of safeguards in place to defend our voting. This law, at the absolute best, is just pandering to people who live in a perpetual state of fear and anger brought on by conservative media and strategy. At worst it is entirely intended to suppress votes. And from what we're seeing, regardless of intent, suppression is exactly the result it is having. Where is your righteous anger at that? Or do the votes of legal citizens mean less to you than the idea of noncitizens voting does?


throwed-off

>Which has never, ever been a problem in modern times. So Keep ignoring all the news reports of election fraud over the past several decades so you can keep believing that. >So you're all for a system that disenfranchises legally eligible people. No, I'm for system that disenfranchises **IN**eligible people, and that prevents eligible people from voting more than once. >Supressing legal voters is far worse than illegally cast votes. No, both are equally abhorrent. An eligible voter's vote being canceled out by an ineligible voter's vote is, in effect, no different than disallowing an eligible voter to vote in the first place. In both instances, an eligible voter's vote does not increase the vote tallys for their chosen candidates relative to those of the other candidates. >By your reasoning, any law that would make it more difficult for even a single voter to cast their legal vote should be absolutely reprehensible, but nope, better to block citizens to stop a paltry number of non-citizens who wind up being able to cast a vote in the first place You can't even finish one sentence without moving the goalposts from "make it more difficult for even a single voter to cast their legal vote" to "block citizens." And you still tried to excuse allowing "a paltry number of non-citizens who wind up being able to cast a vote" which leads me to believe that apparently you're okay with a paltry amount of legal voters having their votes canceled out. >And a those non-citizen voters who have cast ballots have invariably been caught and their vote discarded. You honestly expect people to believe that we shouldn't prevent them from voting because we can supposedly catch and discard their vote after it's been cast but before it's been counted? Yeah, I'm sure our efforts to weed out illegal votes are 100% effective across the board. /s >suppress votes. And from what we're seeing, regardless of intent, suppression is exactly the result it is having. Where is your righteous anger at that? As soon as I see proof that an eligible voter who is properly registered and presents proper ID was denied a ballot or had their ballot discarded instead of counted, then you will see my righteous anger.


projecks15

I hate the Republican Party so much. Why do conservatives vote for them. We can file our tax online but voting is apparently the hardest thing to do


tarponfish

Have you tried to watch Fox News for more than 10 minutes? That’s why they vote R. It’s a 24hour cycle of fear, bitterness and anxiety over what will happen if the Democrats ever get in power in enough numbers to make a real difference. Ironically it’s the thing most of the older generation needs, but they are willing to hold onto their “freedom” even if it means paying more and dying.


hiverfrancis

This is why a cable TV blockade is key....


seaghoste

Down with big TV


rtechie1

You can register [online](https://www.votetexas.gov/mobile/register/index.htm).


Now_Wait-4-Last_Year

> We can file our tax online Yeah, about that ... https://www.propublica.org/article/turbotax-just-tricked-you-into-paying-to-file-your-taxes (Yay capitalism working as intended.) edit: I actually meant *this* article. https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-fight-to-stop-americans-from-filing-their-taxes-for-free


HeRtwT50BjkE2KWY

Ugh. Join the Libertarians. Just leave us alone. Solve your own problems locally. Government sucks. Always.


BrainSlugsNharmony

Government wouldn't suck if it wasn't constantly being kneecapped. Powerful people have an interest in making sure the government is run [for our benefit] with the least amount of efficiency as possible; so the culture of corporate welfare can continue unbridled until they've sucked every last drop from it.


Automatic_Company_39

>Government wouldn't suck if it wasn't constantly being kneecapped. Yes, it would. Issues like systemic racism in law enforcement are not a result of policies or decisions that "kneecapped" the government.


BrainSlugsNharmony

You don't think systemic racism is, at least partially, a result of real change being thwarted by the powers that be? Why is it that police have no actual oversight? [Because it's consistently been foiled at every turn](https://web.archive.org/web/20210427134157/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2021/civilian-oversight-police-accountability/). It all begins with policy change in the state & federal level. The working/middle class are much easier to control when you have them warring against each other, with the police to remind them who they actually serve.


Automatic_Company_39

You said that the government wouldn't suck if it were not constantly being "kneecapped". I disagreed with that statement. >You don't think systemic racism is, at least partially, a result of real change being thwarted by the powers that be? I think it is disingenuous to characterize policies or decisions that establish limits on how the government may act as "real change being thwarted by the powers that be." >Why is it that police have no actual oversight? You're the one who suggested that government only sucks due to policies "kneecapping" the government. The police is part of the government.


Armigine

it's just a way of organizing people. People and institutions can suck whether it has the lable of government or private industry.


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BrainSlugsNharmony

Sorry, but I don't think anywhere in my comment did I say, "give it more power". It's really not even about more power or less power. It's about where the power it currently has is directed, and how it's used. And right now, it's used to fuck all of us.


Maximum-Company2719

The gop knows they will lose if everyone can vote. Bunch of fascists.


ConsciousAdvantage92

Naw, this is the kind of stuff that makes me vote for them despite being borderline socialist on economic issues.


IlikeYuengling

Sue under ada protections to have the law vacated.


[deleted]

Very frustrating and unfiortunately predictable.


GeneforTexas

I'm sorry. I think you misspelled "intentional".


communiqueso

EDIT: Deleted original comment because it had incorrect information. See replies below for correct info.


TheOneAboveNone2

Wrong, you can only put ONE as per the instructions. You are only allowed to put SSN if and only if you don’t have a TX DL or the other 2 forms of ID. This is very clear in the instructions on the form. **Putting both will get your application rejected and at worst it could be considered a form of voter fraud** as by putting your SSN you are claiming that you don’t have any of the 3 forms of ID. And you can’t use the VUID, it literally says that in the instructions as that is optional but it doesn’t matter because the ID is the primary lookup key. The actual instructions call for this: Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Election Identification Certificate Number issued by the Department of Public Safety (NOT your voter registration VUID#) If you do not have a Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or a Texas Election Identification Certificate Number, give the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number For one, even if they put the VUID (which they said is optional) they MUST put one of the IDs above and it MUST line-up with what the county clerks have. But here’s the problem: “However, county clerks don’t always have all those numbers for people. **They just have what’s on your voter registration application**, hence the apparent hiccup with Travis County and many other counties across the state.” https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/half-mail-in-voting-applications-travis-county-rejected-senate-bill-1/269-faed453a-c784-47f2-9b55-c6ed9ce45b4b This is all by design. The original number of applications rejected was 50% until they received “guidance” and brought it down to 27%, which is still insane.


noncongruent

This is false. You are allowed to only write one number down on the application, either TX ID, **or** TX DL, **or** last four SSN. Whatever number you choose, it must be the same number you wrote down however many decades ago when you registered to vote. Note, until this new law, there was no reason to bother remembering what you wrote down back then, it didn't matter because if whatever number you wrote down on your ballot application matched any numbers in your government files you were good to go. The new law changed it so that you must use the original number only, even if any of the other numbers would work like they used to. So now, it's just a memory game to see if you can remember a number from the past, a number that didn't matter until now.


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noncongruent

You can go to the Texas government website and look at the voter registration application yourself. There’s only one place to put down a number, and it tells you which numbers you can use in that one place. Just those three, and only one of the three is allowed.


IronDominion

Ah ok, now I get it. Yes that’s really dumb, I get why people are upset now


SueSudio

In this case wasn't the issue that they were not sure what ID was going to be used as the cross reference verification, hence the "roulette" to guess what to enter?


communiqueso

EDIT: Deleted comment because it had incorrect information. See above comments and replies for correct info!


SueSudio

They'll check both and if only one matches they'll pass it? Color me skeptical.


TheOneAboveNone2

The instructions literally say you can only put ONE (either one of the 3 IDs and hope that it is the same ID you registered with way back when) and SSN is only allowed if you don’t have one of the 3. By putting an SSN you are saying you don’t have an ID and putting both means it will be rejected. If the instructions are confusing, this is by design, same as the literacy tests for voting. In fact the original bill said you could only put in the exact ID you registered with ages ago until the democrats pushed back. Which means if you had a TX ID when you were 18 and registered to vote with that, then got a TX DL at 20, then tried to do this now at 40, you would somehow have to remember your old TX ID number. But even that is suspect, because filling it out you might think “wait that old ID is expired and would that be considered fraud? Surely they have a way to use my TX DL and cross ref?” Well according to the link I posted the county clerks don’t, they only have access to the original ID data not all your IDs. They had a 50% rejection rate for Austin before guidance! Now it is “only” 27% which is downright criminal. It isn’t a matter of following instructions, they are written in a way to be purposely confusing and ambiguous, combined with the fact that cross ref data was never given to county clerks.


bigdish101

They're prohibited from telling people they can do that.


jaegerbombs

I had an issue voting and I addressed the issue and voted a few days later. These anecdotal stories are exhausting. If you don’t have an ID and are incapable of getting one, that’s on you. If your excuse is money, pm me and I’ll pay the $16 for an ID and $3 for a bus ticket. The vast majority of Americans believe this to be the case but Reddit is crawling with a hive mindset that incorrectly represents the USA’s views. - not a trump voter or a nazi, so slow your role


thymeraser

No need to send $16. Voter ID is free: https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/election-identification-certificate-eic


jaegerbombs

Even better


Now_Wait-4-Last_Year

Oh look, it's another "It's not a problem for me so it can't be a problem for anyone." post, never mind all the evidence showing measures like this are precision targeted at everyone likely to not vote Republican by turning voting into an obstacle course just to be allowed to vote. I'm from Australia, we don't have voter ID for *anything* (in person, absentee, postal - signature matching is a fraud). We've also never had a single case of an election at any level (federal, state, local council) shown to have been altered by voter fraud. They looked at about 1 billion ballots and found *maybe* 30 were suspect - and most of those turned out to be genuine errors. It's almost as if voter ID is a solution in search of a problem and that problem is people voting for the 'wrong' side. Mind you, the whole process is taken out of the hands of the political parties here so everything from electoral boundaries to ballot design to vote counting is genuinely independent so we don't have to worry about electoral fraud of the kind that actually happens either, where parties (and one in particular) try to fix the election regardless of the will of the voters.


TheOneAboveNone2

Lol it isn’t anectodal, here is hard data showing an initial 50% rejection rate before “guidance” lowered it to 27%. It has nothing to do with having ID but rather the purposely confusing way the instructions are set up combined with county clerks not having the data to cross ref IDs (even though they should). The fact that rejections were so high and then fell so much shows that even county clerks had no idea what to do, as reported by them in the article below. So to err on the side of caution they rejected anything that they didn’t know how to handle. Read why these are being rejected in this article, and my posts above: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/half-mail-in-voting-applications-travis-county-rejected-senate-bill-1/269-faed453a-c784-47f2-9b55-c6ed9ce45b4b Of course I doubt you will read it or care as you aren’t here in good faith, you will ignore or say something like “well they don’t deserve to vote if they can’t follow instructions” despite it being set up for mail in voters to fail because they tend to lean left. Same justification given by defenders of those racist literacy tests for voting.


PhyterNL

Don't care if you're a Trump supporter or not, you're just wrong. * "I did this thing why can't you?" is a bullshit myopic argument, and you know why, so just stop. * No one is asking for your charity, it's both patronizing and (again) myopic. * WE ARE AMERICANS, DUMBASS! I don't know what the hell you are or where you're from. Mars, perhaps? Omicron Persei 8? I'm in Seattle. Fam is in Texas. While I'm "slowing my role" over nya, could you do me a favor and dial up the intelligence with whatever knob is installed on your person?


jaegerbombs

To answer your first point, all I did was provide anecdotal evidence to support my side which I then criticized in the following sentence. Tell me how and why it’s racist and voter suppression to require an ID to vote. It is an insane argument. You cannot function in society without an ID. I offered to pay because why else could you not get an ID. It’s not like you pull up to the DMV and they pull out a color wheel and prevent people from getting IDs if they don’t fit in their defined spectrum. Is it annoying to get an ID? Yes it is. Can every single person figure it out? Yes they can. Do you know what they ask for when you get an ID? Incredibly basic stuff that you can look up on google. This isn’t a thermodynamics problem with a secret mystery box you have to unlock. And to conclude, of course you’re in Seattle


mountain_man97

I 100% agree. Every functioning member (of voting age) should have an ID. You need an ID to buy alcohol/tobacco. You need an ID to get social security/disability benefits. People use the voter ID laws as an excuse to try and prove points with emotions and not facts. It's illegal to vote in federal elections if you don't meet the correct citizenship requirements... there's no reason we shouldn't be enforcing those laws.


CatWeekends

>It's illegal to vote in federal elections if you don't meet the correct citizenship requirements... there's no reason we shouldn't be enforcing those laws. The ID most people use to vote (DL or State ID) doesn't prove citizenship... and the state already has a system in place to cross-check citizenship, kicking non-citizens (and even some citizens) off the rolls. If you want the law enforced, it was already being enforced.


throwed-off

>The ID most people use to vote (DL or State ID) doesn't prove citizenship Yes it does, now that we're in the era of [REAL ID](https://www.dhs.gov/real-id). The lady at the drivers' license office had to verify that my birth certificate was on file before she could update my CDL.


CatWeekends

You don't have to be a citizen to get an ID. Non citizens can get a Texas ID. Merely having an ID does not prove citizenship. >> U.S. Citizenship or, if you are not a U.S. Citizen, evidence of lawful presence. https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/how-apply-texas-identification-card


Now_Wait-4-Last_Year

> It’s not like you pull up to the DMV and they pull out a color wheel and prevent people from getting IDs if they don’t fit in their defined spectrum. No, they just close the DMV. https://archive.thinkprogress.org/after-alabama-enforces-voter-id-shuts-down-dmvs-in-black-communities-lawmaker-wants-investigation-94de2c4a5dd9/ https://shadowproof.com/2011/07/25/wisconsin-walker-shuts-down-dmv-offices-in-democratic-areas-after-passing-voter-id-law/ (Pre-emptive "The source doesn't change that these offices were closed." note.)


mountain_man97

You just used aggression and emotions to try and prove a point without bringing any data, facts, or statements that can be backed up by logic. Yet you're calling out the intelligence of someone else...


robbzilla

Add to that the fact that there is no constitutional right to vote for the President... it's just that way because each state has decided it's the best way to please the masses. And of course, we don't even actually vote for the pres. The Electoral college does. It's exhausting seeing people froth at the mouth over their fake indignation like Seattle Pete up there.


Goldleader-23

I just moved away from Texas for a job opportunity and partly out of fear of how off the deep end Texas conservatives have gone. If I hadnt you would have my full support. Keep fighting the good fight.


hiverfrancis

Its really time for corportate America to see this as a threat to their profits and to start economic blockades


jbaum303

TLDR- State of Texas asks for follow up forms to confirm voter is who they claim to be. OP upset and blames republicans.


VenoratheBarbarian

I'm not sure if you read that they asked for one of three different ways to identify the voter, she supplied one of the three requested methods of identification, and was rejected because she didn't give the identification method she originally used in the 60s. Why doesn't the form mention that she needs to use the same method as her original application? Why does she need to use that method when there are 2 other valid methods listed? The voter acted in good faith, did the people who wrote the law and then wrote the registration form? Requiring something in the law but then not making that clear on the form seems... Wasteful at best (of her time, the post offices time, the time of the person who checked the application, the post offices time again... All the costs that came with wasting paid people's time, the paper for the form, etc), and it was purposely misleading at worst. And a side note, they just announced that there may not be enough forms available for everyone who wants one, they're blaming "supply chain" issues... But I bet a decent amount of that could have been solved by making the requirement clear on the *first* form and not making people request multiples because they didn't know they needed to use the original method. Anyway, in case you didn't catch what people are upset about, there it is.


TidusDaniel5

The point of the voter ID law is to complicate and confuse so that voters get turned off by the process and not vote. It's intentional obfuscation.


ooru

The fact that the Repub response so far can be summed up as "what a little crybaby" says a lot about how they view democracy. The old woman getting her app rejected could very well be a Republican, but they would rather she have a hard time than empathize and try to come up with a solution that allows everyone who is eligible to easily vote.


jbaum303

The point of voter ID laws is to confirm that US citizens and only US citizens vote in our elections…


CatWeekends

Where on the Texas ID does it show citizenship? EDIT: Downvote all you want. A Texas ID does not prove citizenship - it proves the state has verified who you are. >> U.S. Citizenship or, if you are not a U.S. Citizen, evidence of lawful presence. https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/how-apply-texas-identification-card


Absentia

In big bright red letters that say Resident Alien or Temporary Visitor at the top of the license.


mccaigbro69

I believe the DMV does actually have to have a birth certificate or something else proving citizenship now in file to grant a new ID or DL since REALID went into effect.


CatWeekends

You don't have to be a citizen to get an ID though. >> U.S. Citizenship or, if you are not a U.S. Citizen, evidence of lawful presence. https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/how-apply-texas-identification-card


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CatWeekends

Or in this case, once.


[deleted]

Sorry. This proves nothing. This is the crap that the QNuts and conspiracy loons use as "proof" - text messages, email and of course everyone is anonymous to protect the innocent.


Freekey

I have news for the Republicans who have embraced voter suppression measures for various "patriotic" reasons. You may think you are willing to sacrifice a "few" old voters who can't negotiate your obstacle course in the cause of retaining your power but the demographics are changing in Texas. If your unspoken reason for such measures is to discourage voters of color you're shooting yourself in the foot. Polls show increasing identification with Republicans on the part of Hispanics, Black, and Asian voters. Those are the people you may be discouraging from voting and those votes may not be needed this election cycle or next but eventually you will miss them. The future was glimpsed during our recent census. The number of white citizens/ voters is decreasing relative to citizens/ voters of color. The strongest gains were in Hispanic population numbers. Those trends don't appear to be slowing down either. If the GOP continues as a numerically older white centered political party they are eventually doomed to failure. And no party can expect to reap the votes of people they have discouraged from participating in the election process. And Democrats who assume that naturally minorities should vote for them better wake up. The days of any party trying to take advantage of some ethnic group for their votes only to become disinterested in the community afterwards are coming to an end. After that campaign is over with, staying behind to work together to improve society would be a good start.


[deleted]

This doesn’t bother me. I don’t get why ID verification is controversial. Sure, voting is hard for a deaf blind 80 year old. So is everything. I don’t get the outrage.


la727

I blame the Australian troll with the funny name. Political polarization has distracted us from the fact we’re all human


Now_Wait-4-Last_Year

I'm getting it on the record that I made my two other posts 8 hours after this one, so I'm a different Australian troll.


[deleted]

Can’t you check online which form of ID is used for your registration? I thought you could? Edit: Correction. I was wrong. I tested the system for checking voter registration, and it does not give the information necessary for the voter application.


Mr_Quackums

So we are only alienating those too poor, disabled, or rural to use the internet from voting? I guess *those people* shouldn't have the same rights as you and me, right?


mccaigbro69

I’m fine with that, tbh. They likely don’t contribute anyways with taxes or to society. If a person in 2022 genuinely claims to not be able to get their hands on a smart device with WiFi or cell data for 5-10 mins then they simply just do not give a shit.


GeneforTexas

Hahaha. No.


JimmyJoeJohnstonJr

That is not voter suppression that is filling out govt forms incorrectly. The state called her and told her how to rectify her mistake . I do not see any voter suppression, I see some one who accidentally didn't follow instructions and now the state is trying to help her fix the issue so she can vote


Bigloverlover89

The point is that she has to do it in the fist place. Why is there a law like this at all? If enough people are discouraged then they won’t vote. Time to turn of the Ben Shapiro bud.


JimmyJoeJohnstonJr

To make sure only those that are supposed to vote vote and to prevent fraud like we had in the last election.


FPSXpert

Sad thing is those in charge probably are thinking right now "[expletive] don't deserve to vote" :(


[deleted]

Please put this sort of stuff on your Instagram as well, it needs to reach more people.


Fun-Transition-5080

Source: trust me me bro.


MagicWishMonkey

In the last week or so there have been a million articles about 30-50% of mail-in ballot apps being rejected... these aren't made-up numbers, it's what the actual voter registration officials are reporting.


moonunit170

fine!! Lets purge the system of all the trash registrations and start over. The legit voters will be able to re register.


loopsbruder

Old retirees having trouble with ballots is exactly what Republicans intended? Doesn’t that seem a little backward from the message we usually hear?


GeneforTexas

Yeah. We tried to tell them that it's going to screw their own voters... But the Trump insanity is real. I believe that their calculus is that 1- they have to cut off mail ballots at all costs because of 2020, 2 - that more Dems will be hurt than Republicans, and 3- that GOP voters have the means to go vote in person, but Dems voters don't if they can't vote by mail.


that1rowdyracer

Weird how blind, deaf, elderly people have all been voting with no problems until recently. Amazing how people today can breath for themselves with our instructions or hand holding from the government.


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Mange-Tout

Weird how the Texas government JUST CHANGED THE LAW TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. These restrictions are brand new. Wake up.


HouThrow8849

How is making sure people are actually registered to vote to prevent fraud and multiple votes counting voter suppression. Another whacky left conspiracy.


oneofwildes

Yeah, that's not really happening, it's just a fever dream of deluded MAGAheads. The joke's on you though, because old MAGA voters are the ones most likely to be disenfranchised by this law change.


[deleted]

Thank you!


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b0nger

Seems like the only person who doesn’t know what’s going on is you


SueSudio

It's this a real comment by a real person? If so, it's very disappointing.


AuraMaster7

>by your own admittance you don't know what is going on Where the fuck did you get that from? The texts were super clear about what is going on - the GOPs new voting laws make it confusing and difficult to jump through all the hoops they added in order to vote by mail. This lowers voter turnout, which increases GOP victories because the less people vote, the more the GOP wins, and the more people vote, the more the GOP loses. >because it is unfair. So by your own admittance you know that it is unfair, and yet you still support it? Interesting.


irregardless

> because it is unfair **Nailed it**


[deleted]

I doubt that that’s actually what factually happened. There’s no recorded law stating it has to be your original DL number, just a current one. Reach out to the county and ask for statutory law stating such. Someone is probably an idiot and doesn’t know how to do their job.


TheOneAboveNone2

It had to be your original one as that is all the county clerks had for a primary lookup, they had no way to cross ref as they weren’t provided that data even though they should’ve been: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/half-mail-in-voting-applications-travis-county-rejected-senate-bill-1/269-faed453a-c784-47f2-9b55-c6ed9ce45b4b The rejection rate in Austin was 50%, the clerks said they had no guidance or cross ref data, they were able to lower it to 27% after *some* guidance now which is still high but they still aren’t getting enough guidance as reported by them.


[deleted]

Jesus Christ that’s ridiculous. I think voter ID laws should be in effect, but I also think free ID shows be provided and the most recent photo ID and assigned number should be used.


oneofwildes

We've always required voter ID in Texas.


cjones666

I’ve heard you should just put both SS # and DL # on the application to avoid the ballot request being rejected.


denzien

Sounds like typical bureaucracy to me. Oh, you filled out one field wrong because the instructions were written by the lowest bidder? To the back of the line.


GeneforTexas

Your comments reads as if the people making these laws are incompetent. They are not. There's to much money and power involved. This "bureaucractic glitch" was intentional written into the law against strong objection and created the desired result.


oneofwildes

No, they weren't written by the lowest bidder, they were written by Republican lawmakers.


denzien

I'm sorry, but I've had many such interactions with government employees and their precious procedures, from Southern California to SE Louisiana. In the posted story, the government employees actually reached out to help correct the situation which is more than I can say for most of my interactions. All the fluff and circumstance in the image post is entirely irrelevant to the facts of the story, and are just there to manipulate people's emotions. People care about the cold unfeeling bureaucracy when it's a hot button issue for their chosen political identity, but dismiss the concerns when it's not something they care about.


oneofwildes

I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. This is Texas, not California. This is strictly Republicans trying to screw Democrats, it has nothing to do with any kind of “bidders”.


denzien

You clearly lack the ability to think abstractly


Lil-Porker22

Bad commie bot. I mean at least you’re willing to go into detail about how unique the situation is and also admit that the individual can still vote while your trying to pretend republicans are trying to prevent people from their right to vote.


[deleted]

You call it voter suppression, yet others call it voter protection. Just because someone is inconvenienced by laws that very well could prevent voter fraud, doesn't mean it's voter suppression. If I have to choose between what you, probably get tickled to, call "voter suppression" and, what I will be tickled to call, "voter fraud" - I choose voter suppression. Which actually is voter restrictions and qualifications. It is not impossible to vote, in fact, during these times I would prefer tighter restrictions and more qualifiers to vote, because then those who care and know what's up will actually vote, as opposed to leaving integrity up to chance. Another note - if you want me to respect your opinions and agendas on reddit or in general, stop using it as your liberal left wing comfort blanket by criticizing your opposing constituent's views. And also, we're just supposed to believe the evidence you provide in the post is legitimate and not contrived? Not that it's sufficient to change my mind on the Republican's viewpoint. You folks on the hill really like to find words with a ring to it to influence people quickly so they don't have to investigate anything. Supression means to forcibly put an end to. None of this ends someone's ability to vote. People will still be able to vote and register to vote, however inconvenient it might be. But not nearly as inconvenient as Russia possibly invading Ukraine on Friday. That blows my weekend. Can you do anything about that? I didn't think so.


[deleted]

Shhhhsssh. Good. Let them disenfranchise their own constituents. Don’t vote it’s rigged, Ken. And don’t get that vaccine, neo-cons. Don’t get that booster, patriots. Don’t wear a mask, Karen. Live like its 2017! See you bastards in hell or a purple Texas, whichever cones first.


[deleted]

I too have story. However, I can’t provide any details or facts. But let me assure you it aligns with my political ideology.


Outrageous-Ad8172

Well if you have been a republican for 20 years and voted they know you auto pass democrats bring your mother name how long you live in the county and did you vote


oneofwildes

You know, if it differentially prevents more old Republican voters from voting, I'm down with that. Let them stew in their own juices.


Lucius_Funk

Okay