Inside the Texas Legislature, now 2 years in the making, it appears as if the Voter ID Bill will finally pass, thanks to the support of new State House of Representatives, which has taken on a decidedly Republican flair following the last election. So now that all signs point to more stringent requirements at the polling site, let’s take a look at exactly what the proposed bill may soon requireAt the time a registered voter casts his or her vote, he or she will need to bring either a driver’s license, personal ID card (via the Department of Public Safety), United States military ID card, United States passport (U.S. only) or United States citizenship certificate. Currently, only a voter card is required to place a ballot, or other various acceptable forms of identification that do not include a photo.The bill is an effort to decrease voter fraud, as non-photo identification qualifiers can easily be transferred between individuals with little way of knowing. Of course, not everyone has met the initiative with enthusiasm. When a similar bill was proposed in 2009, it never made it to a House vote, with seats standing in a gridlocked split between Republican and Democrats.Democrats worry about voters without a valid form of photo ID, which they believe will be primarily part of their constituency come voting time. However, voting shouldn’t pose much more of a challenge than obtaining a driver’s license or state issued photo ID, a task undertaken by countless Americans every weekday. Not to mention, the most immobile citizens are accounted for, with voters over the age of 70 not required to provide a photo ID, instead allowed to continue under traditional voting guidelines.Though the law is unlikely to find a significant challenge at the State Legislature level, the Voting Rights Act could still come into play, were the bill to come under scrutiny by the federal government.

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