Williams Says Voter ID Won’t Come Up That Soon, Thanks To 60 Day Rule
Celeste DelGado | Feb 18, 2009 | Comments 0
The Statesman has the details:
Sen. Tommy Williams, the Republican whose surprise move early in the session lowered the number of votes needed for the Senate to act on a mandate that voters present photo IDs before voting, said today that while the measure is now eligible for committee consideration, he doesn’t expect action soon.
Williams’ point: A constitutional provision requires a four-fifths vote of the Senate to debate proposals of statewide sweep in the first 60 days of a regular session. The 60-day mark of this session will come around mid-March.
The 60-day provision means that Senate Democrats, who make up just over two-thirds of the 31-member body, have the muscle to prevent floor debate. No Democrat has come out in favor of requiring voters to present photo IDs—an idea that also failed in the 2005 and 2007 sessions.
The American-Statesman suggested in print today that the Senate, meeting as a committee of the whole, might debate the voter ID legislation as soon as next week. Williams said this morning: “I haven’t heard any talk of it happening that quickly.”
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