Texas Judge Almost Blocked From Voting Because Of New Voter ID Law

I fear this is a merely a taste of things to come….

And to those of you who think Voter ID Bills are no big deal, think again…

In addition to the known impact to minorities and the poor, it seems no one really looked at the impact this might have on women, who are more likely to change their names with marriage or divorce….

From ThinkProgress.org

A Texas district judge who has been voting for the past five decades was almost barred from the polls Tuesday, thanks to the state’s newly implemented, stricter voter ID law. The law kicked in on Tuesday as early voting in Texas’ November 5 election began.As she told local channel Kiii News, 117th District Court Judge Sandra Watts was flagged for possible voter fraud because her driver’s license lists her maiden name as her middle name, while her voter registration form has her real middle name. This was the first time she has ever had a problem voting in 49 years. “What I have used for voter registration and for identification for the last 52 years was not sufficient yesterday when I went to vote,” she said.Watts worried that women who use maiden names or hyphenated names may be surprised at the polls. “I don’t think most women know that this is going to create a problem,” the judge said. “That their maiden name is on their driver’s license, which was mandated in 1964 when I got married, and this. And so why would I want to use a provisional ballot when I’ve been voting regular ballot for the last 49 years?”

via Texas Judge Almost Blocked From Voting Because Of New Voter ID Law | ThinkProgress.