Despite Texas' efforts to educate the public on its controversial voter ID laws, the state's voter registration and participation remains among the lowest in the country.
As required, the Secretary of State's office spent $2.5 million on voter ID education for the 2016 presidential election that included partnering with about 1,800 community groups and placing television and radio ad buys, but refuses to disclose the specifics of these publicity efforts.
First-of-its-kind legislation proposed by San Antonio State Representative Justin Rodriguez would require the state's chief elections office to report in detail how public dollars are spent on voter education programs, including an estimate of how many Texas voters were successfully reached.
Guests:
- State Rep. Justin Rodriguez - District 125
- Al Kauffman, professor at St. Mary's School of Law and former civil rights litigator
- Henry Flores, political science professor at St. Mary's University and author of the book, “Latinos and the Voting Rights Act: The Search for Racial Purpose”
- Phyllis Ingram, Voter Services Director and immediate past president of the League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area
Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos was not able to join the conversation on today's program, but provided a written statement:
“The Secretary of State’s office has consistently followed the law with regard to disclosure of information and will continue to follow the law and the direction of the legislature.”
