Texas Republican Primary 2006

One of the things that I really love about voting in the party primary race is that there are always a few crazy platform planks that are being considered for adoption at the convention. It does, in all honesty, make me a little giddy to read some of these even if this year's (scroll down to the bottom - just like a real ballot) were mostly let-downs: Fuzzy phrases about eminent domain, a murky call for spending limits, the annual homeowner's tax bickering...

There was one that made me sit up and notice, though:

The Texas Legislature should enact legislation requiring that voters provide valid photo identification in order to cast a ballot in any and all elections conducted in the State of Texas.

Texas has a long and important history of fraudulent elections. As a conservative, I can't support this initiative. Rampant voter fraud gives a strong incentive to the electorate to keep elected officials' offices as weak as possible. I hope the good people at the Texas GOP convention this summer rethink this call for legislative action. It would be a real victory for the (small) conservative wing of this state's Republican party.