Photo ID needed to vote

    The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 constitutional amendment election was Oct. 7. Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 21 in the Jackson County clerk’s office.
    Proposed amendments include property tax exemption for surviving spouses of certain service members; removing provisions for the State Medical Education Board, allowing extension of exemption from inventory taxes for aircraft parts, tax exemption for disabled veterans whose homesteads were donated by a charity, authorizing a reverse mortgage loan for the purchase of homestead property, creating funds to assist in the financing of priority projects in the state water plan, allowing home-rule cities to decide how to fill vacant elected seats, repealing the provision authorizing a hospital district in Hidalgo County, and expanding the State Commission on Judicial Conduct’s sanctioning authority.
    A full explanation of the amendments can be found at http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legis/ConstAmends/AmendmentAnalysis.cfm or come by the Jackson County Herald-Tribune office for a copy.
    A major change in how you vote came about this past year when the state legislature passed the photo identification law. In 2011, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 14 creating a new requirement for voters to show photo identification when voting in person. While pending review within the judicial system, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Shelby County v. Holder, which effectively ended all pending litigation. As a result, voters are now required to present an approved form of photo identification in order to vote in all Texas Elections.