Voter ID: 80? 65? How old is old enough?
The House has just voted 73-72 to kill an amendment that would exempt 65 year-olds and up from the bill requiring a photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote. The original idea, put forth by the bill proponents, proposed 80 as that age.
So now anyone over 80 won't have to show ID under this bill.
The unanswerable question is, if they don't need an ID, then how do you know how old they are? How do you tell?
A couple of arguments against lowering the exempt age from 80 to 65 was that 65-year-olds are still plenty young enough to have a driver's license.
The argument for it was that since the AARP has come out opposed to the bill, they should just take seniors out of the equation altogether.
Rep. Jim Jackson, R-Carrollton, asks: How in the world did you come up with 65?
Rep. Jim Dunnam, House Dem Chair, responds: That's when you qualify for social security. How in the world did ya'll come up with 80??
The question of how you tell is not easy. If they have no driver's license, if they've long since lost their birth certificate since they draw social securty and dont need it anymore, and since their voter reg cards didn't start requirng a birth date until 1972, there's no verifying their age.
Hi, I'm 80. Prove me wrong.
Comments
Well, since someone's age is on the voter file. I don't think proving you wrong will be an issue.
Posted by: bud | April 23, 2007 3:41 PM
A 75-year-old's birthday is not on file with any voter file if he or she got the registration card before 1972.
Posted by: Brooks | April 23, 2007 3:58 PM
You're 80? You look terrific for your age!
Posted by: Don't Mess w/ Pink | April 23, 2007 4:49 PM
where was rep. pena on the vote? funny how he blast the voter id bill on his own blog then he is not even on the floor to vote! what a joke!
Posted by: hmmm | April 23, 2007 5:48 PM
Rep. Pena was excused this morning. He's attending a crime victim conference in McAllen today. Rep. Flores is also excused. Rep. Moreno, who is recovering from an injury, may even show up tomorrow, meaning third reading could be interesting.
Posted by: jw | April 23, 2007 6:05 PM
Crime Conf. ! what a joke, the real crime is on the floor today, and pena is a no show? Good old Speakers boy missing in action. NO EXCUSE! your elected to vote not be at some conf.
Posted by: hmmmm | April 23, 2007 7:17 PM
Pena wasn't there for any of the amendment votes - a couple of which were super tight. But in the final vote, he paired with Goolsby (or England, one) for his 'no' vote. So Goolsby (let's say), who would have voted no, abstained. They cancelled each other out.
Kino Flores did the same thing. One was with Goolsby, the other with England.
If you have an excused absence, you can do that.
Now, whether that was the most important vote or not, is still up for debate.
Posted by: Brooks | April 23, 2007 8:46 PM
This is much to do about nothing, this bill is going nowhere. It is funny to hear all the whinners!
Posted by: zzap | April 25, 2007 1:15 AM