Democrat bucks party on proving citizenship to vote

[sonias]

AAS 2/14/08
Democrat bucks party on proving citizenship to vote
Tax assessor-collector Spears is criticized by primary opponent Maxey for backing Republican position.

Nelda Wells Spears, one of Travis County's top election officials, confirmed Thursday that she supports Republican-sponsored legislation that would require people to prove their citizenship when they register to vote.

Spears oversees voter registration as the Travis County tax assessor-collector, and her comments put her at odds with many fellow Democrats. Some of those Democrats, including her opponent in the March 4 primary, Glen Maxey, are already attacking her in e-mail chains and political blogs.

The disagreement surfaced after an Austin Chronicle endorsement meeting in which Spears was asked why she did not oppose proposed legislation to require proof of citizenship. Spears says requiring proof of citizenship is not unreasonable because only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote, according to a statement on her Web site, which adds, "I believe we Democrats must also show voters that we support reasonable safeguards to keep our elections honest."

Democrats have been using the term "Republican voter suppression bills" to describe a bundle of proposed legislation that would require voters to prove their citizenship or show photo identification at the polls.

I can't believe this. This is so disappointing of Nelda to support the republicans on this position. Phil King's HB626 was a piece of crap voter suppression bill that the Rs actually killed themselves, by giving it a fiscal note of over $21 million dollars. How could she say this? :mad:

Nelda, Nelda, Nelda :banghead:

Sonia

[sonias]

1. Spears Thinks Voter ID Is 'Reasonable'

Austin Chronicle 2/15/08
Spears Thinks Voter ID Is 'Reasonable'
BY LEE NICHOLS

Throughout his campaign to oust Travis Co. Tax Assessor-Collector Nelda Wells Spears in the Democratic primary, former state Rep. Glen Maxey has criticized the 16-year-incumbent – who is also the county voter registrar – for not going to the Legislature to speak out forcefully against so-called voter ID laws, which would force voters to bring a photo ID either when registering to vote or in addition to their voter registration card to the polls. But in a meeting last Friday with the Chronicle's editorial board, Spears dropped a bombshell: She supports voter ID.

"I didn't think there was a need for me to go to the Capitol and talk about ," Spears said. "I read , and there were certain things in it that allowed for a person to show identification when they register to vote. Okay. Most people have some kind of identification. It could have been a driver's license; it could have been a state ID card; it could have been a work badge; a utility bill. There was a list of things that could have been used as proof of identity when filling out the voter card. And it seems simple enough to me. The law says you have to be a U.S. citizen to vote, so they want you to show proof that you're a U.S. citizen. ... I think it's reasonable to be asked for identification if it's to prove citizenship."

Nelda's web site statement
Nelda’s Position Statement On Voter I.D.

All Citizens Have the Right to Vote

The Austin Chronicle editorial board asked me my position about requiring an I.D. for voter registration. I gave them an honest answer: Requiring an I.D. is not unreasonable. As he has done throughout this campaign, Glen Maxey misrepresents the truth in order to trick voters into supporting him.

I stated my view about HB 626 (as written), which included numerous options for a person to prove their citizenship when registering to vote, including simply signing an affidavit. If any of those options were not in the bill, I would certainly have a problem with this bill.

It’s my job to promote voter registration for everyone, and we’ve achieved the best voter registration rate of any big county in Texas. I believe we Democrats must also show voters that we support reasonable safeguards to keep our elections honest. A public servant understands this; a demagogue does not care about election fraud.

HB626 had no "free" affidavit bypass in the bill. While you could choose to execute the required affidavit to prove citizenship, that process was going to cost you additional money and would not be mandated to be provided at the polling location. This is exactly the kind of crap we have in the Indiana Voter ID before the supreme court. The requirements of stepping through all these extra hoops if you're a legal citizen without proof.

"a demagogue does not care about election fraud." What voter fraud Nelda? You are buying into the republican's whole trap of fraud lies!

:mad::mad::mad:

Sonia

[Justitia]

2. Thank You So Much for reminding me to donate to Maxey's campaign!!!!

I'm getting out my credit card right this very minute!

Mr. Dean himself sent me an e-mail asking for my support and I meant to do it yesterday....

http://www.actblue.com/page/supportglen

[GOPisEvil]

3. If you were looking for a reason to vote for Glenn Maxey, this is IT.

Nelda, it has been during your lifetime that these types of efforts were used against people who look like you. Remember that.

[sonias]

4. That's what breaks my heart, GOPisEvil

People of color - that's who this is targeted to hurt - her people, my people, all our people in the Democratic party. My Mom who had to buy a poll tax to vote. She's got an ID and her birth certificate and now a passport. But there are others who won't be able to afford this documentation. This bill is like a poll tax.

You know it's not a coincidence that tax collecting and voter registration is done in the same office in Texas. You know why? Because that's where they used to collect poll taxes in order to vote. It's a horrible reminder of our past. I would much rather than the two offices be separate, but cheap ass bastards that we are with government spending, they put the two functions together to save money.

Why has she bought into the republican's bogus talking points? And the wingers are already pouncing on it

Urban Grounds
(snip)
One of the greatest rights of citizenship is the right to vote. I for the life of me cannot buy a single argument as to why people shouldn’t have to prove that they are citizens in order to vote.

Well, except that Democrats know that illegal immigrants are 1000x more likely to vote for a Democrat than a Republican — and with millions of illegal immigrants already in Texas, that’s a sizable voting block that the Democrats would like to have be able to vote for them on election day.

Lies, damn lies and damn fucking lies, Urban Grounds!

Sonia

[hobbit709]

5. Guess who also gave us those @#$%%^$# nachines

[GOPisEvil]

7. Well that was ANOTHER Democrat, Dana DeBeauvoir.

Oh, and I pass by the Hart Intercivic building every day on my way to work.

[Melissa G]

6. What a crock! How clueless can someone with this job be?

Nelda is WAAYYY denser that I thought she was! She is of an age that ought to have a better memory. She is of a skin color that ought to know what 'targeted for disenfranchisement' means. To have done this job for so long and not have a grasp of the ramifications of what she is supporting is mind boggling!!!

[Melissa G]

8. I heard today that this article just cost Nelda a couple of votes she used to have

I hope it costs her many more.

[WolverineDG]

9. One of my colleagues mentioned this race to me

when I old her about the 2006 floor fight for party chair. She didn't have a positive view of Maxey because, being a UT grad, she LOVED Nelda. I told her about this issue that I read about here, & her jaw dropped to the floor. "My friend didn't tell me that."

dg

[sonias]

10. Yep and she's only making it worse

I like her too, but this part of her campaign is coming up lacking.

In an e-mail alert that I got from her today she says

VOTER ALERT!
DON'T BELIEVE MY OPPONENT'S LATEST ATTACK!
VOTER ALERT!

(snip)
THE SIMPLE TRUTH
Let me put this clearly in a way my friends can't misunderstand and even my opponent can't misrepresent: Proof of citizenship at the time a person registers to vote is a common-sense safeguard. Requiring photo identification at the time a citizen walks into the polls with his or her voter registration card to cast a ballot is unacceptable.

This is the simple truth: I have and will defend every citizen's right to vote at all times. Every bill, every practice, every recommendation will be evaluated with a keen eye to protecting the right to vote for every citizen.

So she's admitting to supporting HB626. She in essence is saying she's opposed to HB218 but HB626 was OK.

No Nelda, actually HB626 was worse. Our Democrats in the House and Senate opposed both bills. HB626 never got a Senate hearing because there must have been a Republican that hated it as much as our 3 Dems on the State Affairs Committee. And then there was that fiscal note of $21 million dollars. What a piece of crap bill. We have far more serious needs that money could go to.

HB626 would pretty much end 3rd party registration drives, like the kinds we like doing in Austin all the time on the last day to register to vote.

You would almost have to register in person at the voter registrar's office under that bill.

Sonia