Wendy Davis Held Up While Voting Due To New Voter Suppression Law

[n2doc]

by: Ben Sherman
Tue Oct 29, 2013 at 11:00 AM CDT


While early voting on Monday for the November 5th statewide ballot measure election, Sen. Wendy Davis had to sign an affidavit in accordance with Texas' burdensome new voting restrictions. In 2011, Republicans passed this law, which a federal court later ruled (but before the partial repeal of the Voting Rights Act) was intentionally discriminatory against Latino Texans.

It has another target, too: women. The law burdens women who had changed their maiden names by requiring that they go through extra hoops to prove the name change.

If Republicans had 100 percent of their way, all women whose maiden names created a slight discrepancy between their ID and the voter roll would have had to cast a provisional ballot, conditional on their returning later with proof of the name change.

Luckily, there was a state senator from Fort Worth named Wendy Davis in the Legislature. Sen. Davis wrote a successful amendment that allowed those whose names on the roll and on the form of identification are substantially similar to sign an affidavit swearing that they are the same person, and then vote. That's what Sen. Davis did, since her name appears as Wendy Davis on the state's voter rolls and Wendy Russell Davis on her driver license.

Here's the amendment Davis passed that stems part of the discriminatory effect of this law:

If in determining whether a voter's name is on the list of registered voters the election officer determines that the voter's name on the documentation is substantially similar but does not match exactly the name on the list, the voter shall be accepted for voting as otherwise required by this section if the voter submits an affidavit stating that the voter is the person on the list of registered voters.

Of course, Davis voted against the larger bill because it is entirely unnecessary and designed only to suppress those who are likely to vote Democratic.

more

http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14297/wendy-davis-held-up-while-voting-due-to-new-voter-suppression-law

[Coyotl]

1. One-third of Texas women will be experiencing the same thing, unless Eric Holder prevails

in the DOJ lawsuit to put a stop to the GOP suppression of Dem voters.

TEXAS Republicans have disenfranchised one-half million voters, mostly women, mostly Dems
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023931754

[lostincalifornia]

3. And I haven't heard anything from the media regarding holder on this

[Coyotl]

5. Texas Asks U.S. Judge to Dismiss Photo ID Voter Lawsuit

Indeed, it has not received the amount of press it is due.

Texas Asks U.S. Judge to Dismiss Photo ID Voter Lawsuit
Bloomberg ?- 3 days ago - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-26/texas-asks-u-s-judge-to-dismiss-photo-id-voter-lawsuit.html

What the Voter ID Law Really Means for Women in Texas
TIME-Oct 24, 2013
In Texas, where early voting for the Nov. 5 elections started on Monday, the state's controversial photo ID law is being enforced for the first time as citizens cast .......


Why women in Texas may be blocked from voting
MSNBC-Oct 23, 2013
Texas' strict new voter ID law is being put to its first widespread test. ... supply an approved form of photo identification that exactly matches the name on their ......

[lostincalifornia]

9. Not surprised the link is from Boomberg. Thanks

[n2doc]

2. I just hope they fight to vote, and remember who tried to stop them

Anger can be a good motivator, if channeled in a positive direction. Vote the SOB-GOP out.

[noiretextatique]

4. their war on women continues

and will continue to bite them in the ass.

[polichick]

6. Good news - that'll get necessary media coverage.

[MisterP]

7. well, when this happened to McKinney she just got openly mocked on DU and then purged by the party

[leftynyc]

8. Cynthia McKinney?

The 9/11 truther? The one who lost her primary in 2002 and then her supporters blamed the Jews (which she never pushed back about)? That Cynthia McKinney? She wasn't purged from the party, she lost her primary, decided to go all conspiracy theorist and left the party on her own. And good riddance.

[DallasNE]

10. I Would Also Fail The Texas Standard

And be required to sign an affidavit because when I registered to vote they insisted that I use my middle name while my drivers license only has my middle initial. This law is really going to slow things down, especially if they do not anticipate just how many affidavits will be required.