Greg Abbott Doing The Wild Thing on Twitter
I think I need to introduce you folks from foreign states to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
He’s a jerk. He’s going to run for Governor so he went to court and legally changed his middle name to NotObama just to save some time and energy. Okay, so I made that up but it could be true. So far, it appears that Greg Abbott is running against Barack Obama in 2014. That’s not easy but, Bless his Heart, he’s trying.
So yesterday, when the Supremes overruled a civil rights law for the first time since the civil war – that’s true, look it up – Abbott waited the proper two hours before demanding that the Secretary of State start requiring a voter ID.
Then he took to Twitter to start doing the wild thing. Seriously, he’s gonna get warts for what he was doing on twitter.
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Never in the history of Texas has a man worked so hard to keep people from voting. Well, maybe never is a strong word. But, at least since last night at the Texas Senate. He’s working hardest since Republicans did it last night. There, that’s it.
In Texas, we do not have a driver’s license bureau in every county. Hell, there’s parts of Texas that don’t get the Today show until tomorrow. So getting a proper ID isn’t easy.
This also takes Texas out of the bother to get per-clearance on our redistricting maps. Greg Abbott is sitting in a backroom today with a pencil and a map, drawing lines to make all our representatives just like Louie Gohmert. I do not even want to think how excited that makes him.
Greg Abbott has to walk sideways to keep from flying today. He is so excited that he’s one step closer to world domination by old white men wanting to tie Sweet Nell to the railroad tracks.
Here’s what’s gonna happen. Rick Perry has been studying up real hard to be able to count to three so he’s gonna run for President. Greg Abbott is gonna run for Governor by trying to keep minorities, young people and old people from voting.
Welcome to Texas, where men are men and women need to be in charge.
JJ, the law had already passed and was only waiting on the lawsuit. Voter ID (Election Certificates) went live in the Driver License system last night. I’m in training today, but when I get a chance, I will get the DPS website info to you.
1The voter id law will be challenged in court under Section 2 of the voting rights act (which requires proof of discriminatory intent) and as a poll tax. The State Supreme Court of Missouri held a similar voter id law to be void as a poll tax back in 2006 and the analysis in that case applies to the Texas law.
The ACLU and the League of Women Voters have been at some town halls where I have been a speaker and they stated that each of these groups will be challenging SB 14 in court.
People will be fighting this law.
2I sure wish folks would remember this debate is truly about our citizens’ Constitutional rights – and this RIGHT TO PRIVACY, & the related right to bear children or not, is just as important, if not more so, than our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms.
After all is said & done, the argument that our right to bear arms is related to over-reaching by our government – such as violating our right to privacy.
Please get this point across with friends, family or when writing your representatives.
3I took my 82 year old sister to the DPS to get a photo I.D.
Neither of us were born in Texas. (my bad).
She had a “certified copy” of her hospital birth certificate.
(Not good enough for the local DPS.). She needed one from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in The District of Columbia. Cost $28.
Cost just to get the DPS Photo I.D. Depends on your age.
It’s anywhere from $22 to $26. Plus “bring proof of citizenship” translated….. bring a certified copy (from the Bureau of Vital Statistics) where you were born. Cost…. who knows?
Oh Yeah! They are going to make it hard as they can…. for people to vote.
4The Justice department should turn around and ask a federal judge to rule that the current formula for pre-clearance be kept in place until such time as the Congress complies with the Supreme Court ruling to come up with a new formula.
5Kyle, thanks for letting us know that. The ACLU & League of Women Voters need our continued support in this ongoing fight over voter registration.
6Greg needs to go back into the private sector. Texans need to see about that.
7daChipster: From your lips to Eric Holder’s ears.
8*Never in the history of Texas has a man worked so hard to keep people from voting.*
Not since the Klan rode, anyway.
9On June 21, 1964 Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney are killed by a Ku Klux Klan lynch mob near Meridian, Mississippi. The three young civil rights workers were working to register black voters in Mississippi, thus inspiring the ire of the local Klan. The deaths of Schwerner and Goodman, white Northerners and members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), caused a national outrage. I’m sure they are rolling over in their graves knowing that their sacrifices are being thrown under the bus by the five right-wing judicial activists in black robes on the SCOTUS. Justice was not served this week.
10The first lawsuit attacking voter id under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act have been filed https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxeOfQQnUr_gdWRsUm14amh0WDA/edit?usp=sharing
11Miemaw, Election Certificates are supposedly “free,” but your anecdote just goes to prove how true that is NOT. My coworkers were NOT happy to have to put this into production last night, but it’s the law as it currently stands in Texas.
This just makes me sick. It also makes me wonder if anyone has started a fund to help these poor souls get their ID documents. I particularly feel for those who have been voting for decades, but have no birth certificate and have never had a state-issued ID.
You know, there should be a freaking Grandfather Clause for anyone who’s held a voter registration more than a set number of years. What sounds reasonable? 20? 30? 40?
12I spoke at some town halls hosted by Congressman Al Green. One of the other speakers was the top spokesperson for the DPS. He was a very decent and honorable young man who told the audience that the DPS has received no additional funding for the Election Identification Certificates and that the requirement that the DPS issue such certificates will mean longer lines. Get ready for a mess.
13Sweet Jesus … my heart goes out to you folks … be strong and I know you’ll all fight the good fight!! I sure hope all the other states are paying attention to what Texas is going through because of all the idiots you have to contend with there and vow to not do the same crap!!
14I only took legal assisting courses but apparently know more about law than the AG.
15My hope is that all this mess really pisses off the sensible majority in Texas and everybody gets off their butts and votes all these weasels out of office. Soon. Please.
16I am a fat, middle aged white guy who often wears a suit and tie to work. My job requires a state license. I have lived in my current house since 1989. But I’ve got to prove I’m a real ‘murican to vote.
Very well.
Surprisingly enough, I don’t happen to have a certified copy of my official state birth certificate just lying around the house. I was not born in Texas; I got here in the back of a green Plymouth in early 1964 (probably after braining one or more of my brothers). I went onto the website of my state of birth. In order to obtain a birth certificate by mail: “Total time is the time it takes from when you mail the request until you receive the certificate. Total time can be as short as five business days, to 19 business days or longer.” By mail it’s $12, otherwise $35.50 plus shipping. And I have to know the name of the hospital where I was born.
On the other hand, the only proof I have to show that I am who I say I am and thus entitled to get the short form printout that will not convince some people that I wasn’t born in Kenya is just checking a box on the application, and knowing my parents’ names (oh, yeah, and the name of the hospital that I haven’t been in, I imagine, since 1956…a number of years before I could read). Fortunately, my mom is still alive and pretty dang sharp, so she can probably supply the remaining details. Oh, and with a credit card I can do this over the phone for thirty bucks or so.
In deference to Momma, I will describe this bullet proof method of proving citizenship as fully organic fertilizer.
17mollusk, I was discussing getting certified birth certificates with a father at Vacation Bible School last night. His daughter was born at home. They’ve had a time getting one for her. One thing they asked for was last year’s 1040 form. She wasn’t ON last year’s 1040 form as she was born in March of THIS year. It’s been a real run around.
While a Texas-born resident of Texas can go to the local county courthouse for a copy of their birth certificate (I went to Williamson County’s for a copy of mine from Harris County when I got my passport 13 years ago), it can be a lot harder for folks who weren’t born here. Even harder for older folk, who like this little lady, weren’t born in a hospital at all.
Here’s the press release for the Election Identification (EID) Certificates issued by DPS: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/media_and_communications/pr062513a.htm. It contains links to necessary documentation to verify U.S. citizenship and identity (they are two different pages).
It does mention that if persons have a documented disability, they may apply with their county voter registrar for a permanent exemption to the photo ID requirement. It also states that individuals voting by mail don’t need it.
Actual link to the EID website is http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/electionID.htm.
Ms. Juanita, feel free to post these last few paragraphs, as it is public info (see the press release). Folks need to be informed. I still think we need to get funds set up to help folks defray the cost of getting their ID docs and travel to the DPS offices to get their EIDs. I’m not good at the money stuff, and we need to get these folks documented, including those not already registered to vote.
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