If you’re like lots of people who get our emails or read our blog, you respond to our Action Alerts with … action. But maybe you’re a little confused about the difference between the two bills (HB 218 and HB 626), or you just need some fresh ideas before you call or email your state rep. or encourage your friends to do so.

Here are just a few of the many things wrong with HB 626 and HB 218. Thanks to Sonia Santana, Kat Dean, and our other friends at the Texas Election Reform Coalition for compiling these arguments.

OPPOSE HB 626 and HB 218:
Unnecessary Roadblocks to a U.S. Citizen’s Right to Vote

HB 626 requires proof of citizenship (a birth certificate, passport, or citizenship papers) when registering to vote. HB 218 increases the ID requirements at the time of voting.

This legislation does not prevent impersonation of a U.S. citizen at the polls.

Though ID theft is on the rise and poses a very real threat, there is no substantial evidence of it occurring at the polling place. And if an individual chooses to establish a false identity using someone else’s birth certificate, they will have no problem registering to vote or voting under the conditions proposed by this bill.

Texas can’t afford lower voter turnout.

In an effort to stimulate civic participation, many nonprofit groups hold voter registration drives where they help people register to vote at the grocery store, the church, and other places where people ordinarily gather. These drives have been critical to increased voter registration, which is required for increased participation. HB 626 will render such efforts impossible because most people don’t bring their passport or birth certificate to the grocery store. With the voter turnout numbers steadily declining in Texas—33% in November 2006—the pulse of Democracy in Texas is already weak. Other states implementing these kinds of reforms have already seen decreases in voter turnout. Our democracy can’t afford that.

The unintended consequence: U.S citizens won’t be able to vote, or their vote won’t be counted.

The people who will be unable to register to vote will be citizens. They will be people who never registered because they were not carrying the appropriate documentation when offered a voter registration card (most people in this country don’t have a passport, and many no longer have a birth certificate). They will be people who keep their most important papers (passport, birth certificate) in a safety deposit box and forgot to get them. They will be young people living with their parents or guardian. They will be students eligible to vote but who don’t have those documents with them at college. Married women who have changed their name do not have birth certificates in their names. These are the people who will be denied their constitutional right to vote.

These requirements create opportunity for identity theft.

Where ID theft is known to occur is in the illegal acquisition of birth certificates and social security numbers. HB 626 requires people who register by mail to send coveted identity documentation through the mail (in easy-to-recognize envelopes), providing one more opportunity for identity thieves to acquire them. And citizens may be required to send these papers every two years when responding to their confirmation notice.

This legislation constitutes discrimination against classes of people who face greater barriers to replacing lost documents.

Most Americans do not have a passport. Many people now living in Texas were born in other states and may not have their birth certificate anymore. Requirements, time, and the cost of obtaining a birth certificate vary from state to state, and for someone born overseas to military personnel, the wait for a copy of a birth certificate is even longer. For naturalized citizens who must attain a copy of their naturalization papers, the cost is $220.00.

If a citizen is acquiring a copy of their proof of citizenship in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote, they may have more difficulty and incur greater cost than another voter. This requirement adds a step to the process of voting that is inherently unequal. And unlike attaining a driver’s license, which is not in and of itself a constitutional right, voting—a right—is the heartbeat of our Democracy.