Signed by Governor Rick Perry

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that establishes voter identification requirements, effective January 1, 2012.

Highlights:

• Requires voters to provide one of the following forms of photo identification in order to vote (Sec. 14):
• Driver's license;
• Personal identification card;
• United States military identification card;
• United States citizenship certificate that contains a photograph;
• United States passport; or
• A license to carry a concealed handgun.

• Authorizes voters who cannot provide identification to cast provisional ballots (Sec. 9).

• Requires voters who cast provisional ballots because they do not meet identification requirements to provide photo identification within six days of the date of the election (Sec. 18).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that establishes voter identification requirements, effective January 1, 2012.

Highlights:

• Requires voters to provide one of the following forms of photo identification in order to vote (Sec. 14):
• Driver's license;
• Personal identification card;
• United States military identification card;
• United States citizenship certificate that contains a photograph;
• United States passport; or
• A license to carry a concealed handgun.

• Authorizes voters who cannot provide identification to cast provisional ballots (Sec. 9).

• Requires voters who cast provisional ballots because they do not meet identification requirements to provide photo identification within six days of the date of the election (Sec. 18).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that establishes voter identification requirements, effective January 1, 2012.

Highlights:

• Requires voters to present one of the following forms of photo identification prior to voting (Sec 15):
• A drivers license or personal identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety that has not expired or expired no earlier than 60 days before the date of presentation;
• A United States military identification card that has not expired or expired no earlier than 60 days before the date of presentation;
• A United States citizenship certificate that contains the individual's photograph;
• A United States passport that has not expired or expired no earlier than 60 days before the date of presentation;
• A license to carry a concealed handgun issued by the Department of Public Safety that has not expired or expired no earlier than 60 days before the date of presentation; or
• An identification card that contains the individual's photograph and has been issued or approved by the state of Texas.

• Exempts individuals with disabilities from the voter identification requirements, provided that each individual is able to present one of the following pieces of documentation (Sec 2):
• Written documentation from the Social Security Commission or the Department of Veteran Affairs, stating that the individual has a disability; or
• Written documentation from the Secretary of State, stating that the individual does not have an acceptable form of identification.

• This act is effective January 1, 2012 (Sec. 29).

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires voters to present a form of photo identification to an election officer at the polling place in order to cast a ballot.

Highlights:

• Requires voters to present to an election officer at the polling place one of the following forms of identification (Sec. 14):
• Driver's license or personal identification card issued to that voter by the Department of Public Safety that has not expired or that expired no earlier than 60 days before the date of presentation;
• United States military identification card that contains the voter's photograph that has not expired or that expired no earlier than 60 days before the date of presentation;
• United States citizenship certificate issued to the voter that contains the voter's photograph;
• United States passport issued to the voter that has not expired or that expired no earlier than 60 days before the date of presentation; or
• A license to carry a concealed handgun issued to the voter by the Department of Public Safety.

• Specifies that the requirements for identification do not apply to a voter who presents his or her voter registration certificate and was 70 years of age or older on January 1, 2012, or who is disabled and the voter registration certificate contains such information (Sec. 9).

• Specifies that an offense of these statutes constitutes a second degree felony and that an attempt at offense is a state jail felony (Sec. 16).

Full Bill Text