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Interim Charges - Voter Fraud |
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Friday, 30 November 2007 |
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I have asked the House Elections Committee to study the prevalence of fraud in Texas' elections. Voter fraud has been an increasing concern throughout the United States since voting is a sacred right. State and federal law both require all voters to be citizens, but current state law requires no photo identification or proof of citizenship when registering to vote or when voting. We need to ensure that only U.S. citizens who are Texas residents are voting in our Texas elections. If you need identification to get through virtually any state regulated process, it makes perfect sense that an ID would be necessary to vote.
Voter fraud has historically been a topic of concern in elections in Texas. During the last session of the Legislature, the Texas House of Representatives passed two bills that required some form of voter identification in order to vote. Unfortunately, neither bill made it through the Senate. This interim study will specifically look at ways to ensure that only eligible voters are allowed to vote in Texas elections, and it will consider possible new enhanced charges for individuals who vote illegally.
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