Almost three quarters of Texas voters are unaware that a government-issued photo identification is not required* to vote in this general election, according to a Univ. of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll. About 44% of all voters believe it is required, and another 29% “don’t know” whether or not one is required.
Although the state has a voter ID law, a panel of federal appellate judges struck down portions of the law and a federal district judge ordered remedies to permit voters without photo IDs to cast ballots. The poll indicates voters are confused as to whether a photo ID is required. That requirement* differs based on whether the voter has one of the required IDs.
Anglos were most likely among ethnic groups to know that a photo ID is not required*, but less than a third of Anglos knew that. Another 28% did not know one way or another. Only 19% of Hispanics/Latinos, 13% of African-Americans and 10% of Asian-Americans knew that a photo ID is not required. A majority of minority voters believe a photo ID is required.
Republican voters are more likely than other voters to believe election fraud is common. Illegal voting is believed to be “very common” among 28% of Republican voters, and 34% believe it “occurs occasionally.” Only 10% of Republican voters believe it “almost never occurs,” compared to 30% of independents and 55% of Democrats.
The poll of 1,000 registered voters who said they were “certain” to vote (77% of sample) or “very likely” to vote (23%) was conducted by live telephone interviews (54% landline, 46% wireless). Its stated margin of error is ±3%.
*Clarification: If a voter has obtained a valid photo ID required by law, then that voter needs to present that ID to vote. If the voter has a photo ID but is not possessing it at the time he or she arrives at the polling location, the voter may vote a provisional ballot. The voter must bring a valid photo ID to the county election office in order for the provisional ballot to count. If a voter does not possess and cannot reasonably obtain a required photo ID, then the voter can fill out and sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and, assuming the voter has brought other supporting documentation to verify his or her identity, can cast a regular ballot.
