Voter ID: The Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously approved a bill updating the state’s Voter ID law consistent with last year’s court ruling. Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) largely codifies a court-ordered process by which voters with a “reasonable impediment” to obtaining one of the seven required photo identifications could still cast a ballot if they presented one of several non-photo identifications, including a voter registration certificate. Under the bill, election officials could not question the reasonableness of the impediment, but voters who lied about not having one of the photo IDs could face third-degree felony charges.
Redistricting: Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement, “There are no lines to redraw,” in response to a panel of district judges striking down several Congressional districts. Paxton said the Legislature adopted a court-drawn map in 2013, which “mooted any issue with the 2011 maps.” Paxton did not indicate the state’s intentions with respect to the ruling but said he was “confident we will prevail in this case.”
Corpus Christi: As expected, attorney Mark Di Carlo has filed for the May 6 special mayoral election.
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