According to the Houston Press, while voter ID is now required in Texas following the Supreme Court’s recent decision on Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, as many as 70 counties in the state do not have an office to provide it.
As currently structured, citizens will need to present both proof of US citizenship and identification in order to obtain an EIC. While the card itself is free, applicants would need to pay up to $22 for a birth certificate as one of the options for obtaining an EIC. [...]
However, other issues stand even more starkly. According to Katherine Cesinger, spokeswoman for TxDPS, citizens will need to apply for EICs at a TxDPS drivers license office. There is no option for a mail-in application. You must show up, in person, to obtain an EIC.
But per the Press’s calculations, there are 70 counties within Texas that do not provide such offices. From Irion and Crockett Counties in Central Texas to La Salle and Duvall Counties in South Texas, TxDPS’s website shows that nearly 30 percent of Texas counties do not provide the necessary offices at which residents will have to arrive if they want to pick up an EIC.
And that’s not all.
While Texas lawmakers have rushed to implement the program, it appears that local authorities don’t really have any idea what they’re doing.
She also said she was unsure as to how long it would take to receive the EIC following an application, or what kind of outreach programs, if any, her department would use to educate Texans as to the new regulations.
“As far as it coming in mail, I’m not sure exactly on what the timing is,” she said. “We’re certainly working with the Secretary of State’s office to educate the public on this. … Again, this is pretty fresh.”
Nearly a third of the state doesn’t have an office to provide voter ID. They don’t know how many voter ID cards they will need. They don’t know how long it will take to issue them. They don’t know what the Secretary of State plans to do. They don’t know shit.
They quite literally flipped the switch on voter ID and decided that they would work out the pesky details later.
They’re flying by the seat of their pants while fiddling with your basic right to vote.
Before rushing to condemn the Eric Holder Justice Department for the next fake scandal, bear in the mind that, if it weren’t for the Supreme Court, none of this would be taking place right now.