After spending 13 hours at the polls as the Election Judge, I am here to report what happened in relation to the new Voter I.D law. Almost 40% of the voters had ID's which didn't match their listing on the voter roles.
I hope we did everything by the book since a state inspector showed up 15 minutes before the polls open and then returned for the last two hours and remained until we signed the report from on voting machine's total voters report.
Of the 40% of voters whose name was different on their ID from the Poll Book every one was required to jump through the hoop of initialing a box on the register sheet.
We even had one lady who used her husband's name for her voter registration, and in everyday affairs, but her drivers license still had her maiden name as her last name and it had been that way for over 25 years. We forced her to initial the voter register sheet after signing her name. Afterwards we advised her to fill out a short form with the name on her drivers license so that her name would be changed on her voter registration for future elections.
Many women had their maiden name on their drivers license and, after being informed that they would have to initial the register sheet after signing their name, most gladly filled out the optional name change form in order to have the name on the poll book match their drivers license.
We allowed one gentleman to vote using a Veterans Affairs Dept. I.D. Card.
One minority voter was sent half a mile down the road with the hope that he would get a permanent exemption from the county Tax Collector's office because his drivers license had expired more than 60 days prior to the election. He was given the opportunity to cast a provisional ballot which would have allowed him until Monday to get the voter certificate or exemption to all disabled voters but he decided to go directly to the Tax Collector's office. He didn't return.
BTW: Jim Wright was able to get an I.D. yesterday after returning to TX.D.P.S. with his birth certificate.
Star Telegram:
The legendary Texas political figure was able to get a state-issued personal identification card because his assistant dug through boxes of records at his office until she found a certified copy of his birth certificate, which was one of the pieces of ID needed.
Other officials — such as gubernatorial candidates Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican, and state Sen. Wendy Davis, a Fort Worth Democrat — experienced minor snags with the law.
In both cases, the candidates had to sign an affidavit to let them vote because the names on their driver licenses and voter certificates were slightly different but “substantially similar.”
TX S.O.S.
If the name does not match exactly but is “substantially similar” to the name on the [voter roster], the voter will be permitted to vote as long as the voter signs an affidavit stating that the voter is the same person on the list of registered voters.
If a voter does not have proper identification, the voter will still be permitted to vote provisionally. The voter will have (six) 6 days to present proper identification to the county voter registrar, or the voter’s ballot will be rejected.
Exemption/Exceptions:
Voters with a disability may apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption. The application must contain written documentation from either the U.S. Social Security Administration evidencing he or she has been determined to have a disability, or from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evidencing a disability rating of at least 50 percent. In addition, the applicant must state that he or she has no valid form of photo identification. Those who obtain a disability exemption will be allowed to vote by presenting a voter registration certificate reflecting the exemption. Please contact your voter registrar for more details.
Voters who have a consistent religious objection to being photographed and voters who do not have any valid form of photo identification as a result of certain natural disasters as declared by the President of the United States or the Texas Governor, may vote a provisional ballot, appear at the voter registrar’s office within six (6) calendar days after election day, and sign an affidavit swearing to the religious objection or natural disaster, in order for your ballot to be counted. Please contact your county voter registrar for more details.
All in all, it was a good day when over 99.5% of the eligible entrants* were allowed to vote.
* There was one woman who had registered to vote 4 days after the 30 day cutoff to the eligible to vote. She was informed of that fact and declined the opportunity to cast a provisional ballot.
Update: Thanks for the recs! I haven't been on the list in a while. I will admit, I am surprised this made the list since it doesn't present the new I.D. law in the negative light it deserves.