Strama's Alternative Approach to Voter ID
I don't recall how and when, but by some means and at some time during this just completed legislative session I must have ask Representative Mark Strama (Dem HD50) to support the Voter ID bill, which I thought a very reasonable way to reduce voter fraud, including reducing illegal voting by non US citizens.
Mr, Strama sent me a letter on May 9th to explain his position and to say he voted against the bill. Here is the text of his letter:
Mr. Strama's "alternative approach" would have created a layer of bureaucracy in each county prosecutor's office to ensure "Election Integrity". In Travis County the chief prosecutor is District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a man to whom Strama may very well owe his seat because Mr. Earl, a well know partisan Democrat, relentlessly pursued Tom Delay on campaign ethics charges, the fall-out of which helped unseated Jack Stick (former HD50 Rep), making way for Strama, and through guilt by association likely did some damage to Jeff Fleece's campaign against Strama in 2006.
Related Stories:
1. Dewhurst reflects on session
2. Dewhurst sees voter ID defeat as missed opportunity
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA053107.05B.dewhurst.30d050b.html
3. An Uprising Squelched and a Budget in Place, Texas Legislators ...
4. Voter ID Measure Dies In Texas Senate Without Vote
Mr, Strama sent me a letter on May 9th to explain his position and to say he voted against the bill. Here is the text of his letter:
Thank you for your correspondence concerning providing proof of identification at voting places. I appreciate you taking the time to share your views on this issue with me.I appreciate Representative Strama responding to me by letter.
I proposed an alternative approach to preventing voter fraud, which I had hoped Democrats and Republicans could unite behind. My proposal would have created an Election Integrity Task Force in every prosecutors' office in Texas, specifically trained and tasked with investigating and preventing voter fraud. My proposal would have required election administrators in every county in Texas to conduct an Integrity Audit after each election, and refer any evidence of criminal activity to the Election Integrity Task Force in the prosecutor's office.
With my amendment, we could have cracked down on election fraud by punishing the criminals, rather than by erecting new barriers that could inadvertently prevent many law-abiding Texans from voting. Unfortunately, my amendment was not adopted so I voted against the bill. (emphasis added)
Thank you again for writing to me about this important issue. If my office can be of assistance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us at .
Sincerely,
Mark Strama
Mr. Strama's "alternative approach" would have created a layer of bureaucracy in each county prosecutor's office to ensure "Election Integrity". In Travis County the chief prosecutor is District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a man to whom Strama may very well owe his seat because Mr. Earl, a well know partisan Democrat, relentlessly pursued Tom Delay on campaign ethics charges, the fall-out of which helped unseated Jack Stick (former HD50 Rep), making way for Strama, and through guilt by association likely did some damage to Jeff Fleece's campaign against Strama in 2006.
Related Stories:
1. Dewhurst reflects on session
2. Dewhurst sees voter ID defeat as missed opportunity
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA053107.05B.dewhurst.30d050b.html
3. An Uprising Squelched and a Budget in Place, Texas Legislators ...
4. Voter ID Measure Dies In Texas Senate Without Vote
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5 comments:
You're right in your analysis. Strama's proposal is somewhat deceptive, in that very few counties in Texas have elections admininistrators. "Election administrator" is a term of art, and specifically refers to a job, not just someone who runs an election. Thus, Strama's amendment would have created very little, other than two layers of bureaucracy (one in a prosecutor's office, one as his "Task Force") in a very few Texas counties. For example, Travis County (where some 3,000 people who did not live in Travis County voted in his first general election) does not have an election administrator. Strama, and those who oppose Voter ID legislation, are hiding behind access to the polls as a reason to oppose the legislation. That's deceptive as well, given that all the proposals have multiple methods of proving identity, including such things as driver's licenses, credit cards with photos, school IDs... even utility bills. If you set politics aside (that is, which party garners votes from which group of people) the bottom line is this: citizens should vote, non-citizens should not. Period. No one can -- or should -- disagree with that. Given that fundamental truth, the issue then becomes how we enforce that with minimal inconvenience to the voter. Simply presenting an ID -- the same qualification necessary to write a check, use a credit card or apply for welfare benefits -- is the least invasive method.
Moreover, Strama's amendment takes the longest possible route to get to the destination. He wants to investigate and prosecute AFTER an election, when it is next to impossible to change the outcome (somethng with which he has some familiarity). Why not simply prevent the problem in the first place?
While there are those who say illegal voting is not a problem, even if they are correct, what's the difficulty in preventing potential undermining of the keystone to our democracy? Of course, those people are are not correct in any event. For example, the railroad killer Resendiz-Ramirez managed to vote twice in Harris County in between murders.
So, on a focused level, voting against the Voter ID bill is wrong, for whatever reason. From a broader perspective, Strama needs to let go of the idea he can double talk voters and sneak something past them with his political BS. The truth is his amendment would have done very little, but would have created a huge cost to the state (think about the cost of prosecutors and investigators and task forces in each county).
Stick, the guy Strama beat, was political too and I didn't agree with him more than half the time. But at least he was honest.
You forget another element ... Mark Strama may owe his seat to election fraud! Consider how close the election was (within 200 votes) and the fact that there were some irregularities with ballots.
Mark Strama is an utter weasel. This is typical liberal Democrat misdirection. And giving anything 'ethics' related to ethically challenged Ronnie Earle is farsical. Who is he kidding?
PS. The close election that Mark Strama I refer to was in 2004 against Jack Stick. Anyone who thinks election fraud is not done in Texas ... hmmm, check out Robert Caro's bio of Lyndon B Johnson, and how he stole the election to Senate in 1948 from Coke Stevenson. Very eye-opening, and make 100% clear that 'landslide Johnson' who 'won' that race by a mere 200 votes or so, stole the election out right.
"Weasel" is strong. I think Strama thinks he's someone going somewhere, and he makes decisions by sticking his finger in the air to see what direction the wind is blowing. One of his problems is that he's just so obvious about it.
Has anyone asked Stick if he'll run again? What is he doing?
""Weasel" is strong."
Strong but deserved IMHO. Strama has been in politics his whole life, since working for Ann Richards, then being a Hollywood liberal in LA for MTV. His response on this and other items is weaselling.
" I think Strama thinks he's someone going somewhere, and he makes decisions by sticking his finger in the air to see what direction the wind is blowing. One of his problems is that he's just so obvious about it."
Whenever I see politicians behave this way, I am reminded of Clinton's words 'political viability' which he used as a young draft dodger. Strama is all about being as liberal as possible while getting re-elected and keeping his 'political viability'. (Ann Richards had similar modus operandi). I consider such politicians the worst sort, as they will turn on you at the worst time.
PS. Dunno about Jack Stick but I'd doubt he'd launch a rematch. JMHO.
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