Retired Representative Jim Wright who served as the US Speaker of the House from 1987 to 1989. Has become the latest in a long line of people who were turned away from the polls.
Initially, he was denied a voter ID card by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). The man is 90 years old and only had an expired Texas driver’s license and a TCU faculty ID card, neither of which is sufficient for the voter ID law.
He has to go back to the DPS office Monday with a certified copy of his birth certificate (which isn’t always as easy to get as this case demonstrates). Then he will be issued an ID which is sufficient to vote with. Which makes me kind of nervous, because I know, for a fact, that picture IDs are not instantly available. They are MAILED to the recipient after all the paperwork has been completed. It only takes a few days, but I know of no one who has gotten an ID card on the same day as they visit the DPS office.
I’ve sent out a few inquiries for how quickly one can get a voter ID card in Texas.
Tuesday is the general election day. Will Mr. Wright have valid ID by Tuesday? Somehow, I don’t think so.
Just as a side note, Mr. Wright is white male. What this is going to minorities is disturbing.
BTW: The cost for getting a certified birth certificate varies by county, but I’ve seen anywhere from $3 to $15. The cost for getting the ID card varies from $6 to $16 depending on age.
