Both sides of the highly-partisan debate over voter identification requirements are hoping to drum up supporters to testify at the Texas Senate's committee of the whole hearings next week. Schedules have been cleared, meaning senators expect the brouhaha over the legislation to last possibly all week long. As Belo-brethren Wayne Slater blogs, trust is already eroding in advance of the debate.

Republicans say requiring photo ID to vote is a low standard and will prevent voter fraud; Democrats say there's no proof of the kind of voter impersonation fraud it's intended to prevent, and the consequence is seniors, poor and minority voters may have to be turned away at the polls.

Both sides are rallying supporters. Here's the message from the Texas Republican Party:

Despite huge bipartisan support for Voter ID legislation, Texas Democrats are determined to keep it bottled up once again this session. These liberal legislators are on the wrong side of election integrity -- fighting against 70% of Texas citizens and even their very own Jimmy Carter!

Will you stand up to their tired tactics of denial, delay, and disinformation?

Will you join your fellow Republicans in Austin on Tuesday, March 10th?

If you're not familiar with the urgency of election integrity, please check out our brief online video. Maybe you can even share this with friends and family who might want to know more.

This is not a typical Democrat vs. Republican fight, because in this battle Republicans are the only ones playing partisan politics. Virtually every academic study, legitimate non-partisan groups like the AARP and the League of Women Voters, and every major Texas newspaper editorial board oppose this Voter ID proposal.

Our Democratic Senators are working to use every procedural, legal and message-delivery mechanism available to defeat the Voter ID bill (SB 362, by Fraser).

As you recall, in the last two sessions our Texas House Democrats rallied public and editorial opinion against Voter ID legislation that was defeated by the heroic and unwavering efforts of our eleven Democratic Senators under the Senate 2/3's rule. On the first day of this session, the Lt. Governor and Senate Republicans changed the rules in an effort to secure passage of this unwarranted photo Voter ID law, which is one of the last vestiges of the Bush-Rove Justice Department's partisan political agenda.

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