House’s Voter ID Legislation An Exercise In Futility

Aside from adding more to the partisan nature of the body and further demeaning the credibility of many of its members in the eyes of the public at large, yesterday’s debate on the Voter ID bill was, in fact, a total waste of time and resources.

Why? Because it’s dead before third reading. As I’ve mentioned before, and as Kuff reminds us, Senator Rodney Ellis has eleven votes to block the measure from coming to the floor in the Senate (letter here).

Of course, the tradition of the two-thirds rule being intact provides us some comfort. That is, until we remember that the last time it was suspended was for another attempt to steamroller the constitution known as mid-decade redistricting. Since the only time it’s suspended is when it counts on constitutional issues, I wonder if we should have faith that Dewhurst will maintain the tradition—and that all of Ellis’ comrades in arms will stick with the letter.

The latest rumors I’ve seen by email this morning make me wonder. One’s wild, one is possible.

The first: that Dewhurst is being threatened by the GOP “establishment” over the Voter ID bill and getting it to the floor.

The second: (the wild one) that Perry will call a special session for nothing but election “reform” matters with a call so narrow it’s all about Voter ID if the Senate doesn’t take up the measure.

Either way, can someone get me the number to the Holiday Inn Ardmore—STAT?

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