Voter ID push likely will be renewed

AUSITN (KXAN) - This election year, one topic has plagued the ballot box – voter ID. On hold for now, the struck-down law to require photo identification for voters could come back up in the near future.

But Daniel Llanes said just the idea of voter ID is a distraction from his mission to make sure voters even turn out to the polls.

"The real work and the real task is to educate people, so that they can be informed as voters,” said Llanes.

Historically, he said his East Austin neighborhood had some of the worst precincts for voter turnout in Travis County.

"We used to be the lowest-performing precincts,” he said. “We're no longer the lowest-performing precincts."

As coordinator of the East Austin Voter Mobilization Initiative, he credits signs, block walking and phone banks for the increase in those numbers. Now, he hates hearing voter I.D. is still center stage for many Texans.

Last legislative session, state lawmakers passed the law, and it is still up for debate today.

"Almost 796,000 registered voters in this state that did not have a driver’s license and did not have a state ID," said Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer, D-San Antonio, last month at the Texas Tribune Festival.

Democrats say it discourages minorities from voting, while Republicans like the legislator’s co-panelist say it protects the ballot box.

"Do you know anyone who doesn't have an identification card?” said Rep. Jose Aliseda, R-Beeville. “I don't think you do....The only person I know that might not have an identification card is the Unabomber."

The justice department and a federal court recently struck the law down for racial discrimination, but an appeal is likely. For now though, the issue is not one that should affect this election in Texas.

“It’s a moot point,” Llanes said. “We have more pressing things to worry about right now when it comes to voting. We just need people to show up.”