Question

Discuss what the current laws are in Texas that define what a person needs to do to 1) register to vote and 2) then actually vote on Election Day. In your answer, be sure to incorporate examples, past and present, of efforts to restrict ballot access.

Answer 1

1) As per section 13.001 of the Texas Election Code, in order to qualify for register to vote in Texas, a person should be:

• 18 years or more as on the day of election.
• US citizen.
• Resident of the particular country of submission of application.
• Not to be in jail or in a parole at the day of election
• mentally capacitated  person.

As per section 13.002 in order to register to vote:

• an applicant has to submit his application form by himself or through mail to the voter Registrar where the voter stays
• application should be handwritten including the signature of the applicant.
• when the application has been received by the Registrar, he will verify the same to check whether the person is qualified for register to vote as per the Law.
• The voter register should accept or reject the same with in a time period of 7 days.
• In case of rejection, he should inform the applicant the reason for rejection with in a time period of two days and it should be in writing.
• In case of acceptance, he should make a voter registration certificate for the applicant including that persons election precinct number and as well as registration number and the same will come into force on the 30th May from the application submission date or 18 years of the applicant which ever is later.

2) The voters should carry any identification proof along with photo at the polling booths. If the voter cannot fulfill that, the poll officials should ask that the voter cannot acquire any kind of acceptable photo id proofs. If it is okay to the voter then he can caste a regular ballot by giving any non photo-identification proof and submit a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. Polling time will be starting by morning 7 am to evening 7 pm and the individual should be in line for polling.

Restriction to ballot access

In the year of 1999, John McCain sued because of the reason that his name came together with George W Bush on the ballot as the committee themselves decided to nominate Bush without seeing the unsuitability of casting it to a vote. The Laws prevailing locally restrict ballot access because of huge pressure of public as well as injunction put by Court.