Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

AUSTIN – Democrats and Republicans on a House committee staked out their opposing arguments on voter ID legislation Monday as the panel heard from expert witnesses.

House Elections Committee Chairman Todd Smith, R-Euless, tried to strike a bipartisan tone as the panel began a public hearing on the legislation, saying the nine lawmakers on the committee were all interested in preventing voter fraud in Texas.

But as committee members got down to the specifics of a voter ID bill passed by the Senate last month, the sharp differences between Democrats and Republicans spilled out, making it apparent that any vote on the volatile issue will be close and partisan. The committee has five Republicans and four Democrats.

"This is a racial issue, make no mistake about it," said Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, who is not on the committee but sat with it and was allowed to comment during the hearing. "This is about skimming enough minority votes so some people can't get elected."

Smith said he saw no evidence from states with voter ID laws that certain groups of voters would be discouraged from trying to cast ballots. He also said he doubts the assertion of voter ID supporters that such a law will increase turnout.

"There isn't any reason to believe either of those claims is true," he said. "My sense is that both sides are guilty of speculating without any substantial evidence to suggest this will have any meaningful impact on turnout one way or the other."

The bill passed by the Senate would require Texans to show either a photo ID such as a driver's license or two nonphoto IDs such as a utility bill and a voter registration card.

Smith also took strong exception to Democratic arguments that there is no evidence of serious voter fraud in Texas. To bolster his case, he read through a litany of supposed voter fraud incidents – a few from Texas but most in other states.

His comments – during testimony from a witness who opposed voter ID legislation – drew objections from Democrats on the committee, who asked Smith whether his "testimony" would be counted against the time allotted for the witness.

Another witness, Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rikita, told the committee that the voter ID law in his state – passed in 2005 and later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court – has slightly increased voter turnout there, though it has not been a "magic pill" for improved turnout. Indiana requires a photo ID to vote.

Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, who laid out the Democratic arguments against the Senate bill, pressed Rikita and other witnesses about possible disenfranchisement of voters. In particular, Anchia wanted to know whether Rikita regretted that in one Indiana case, a dozen elderly nuns were barred from voting because they lacked photo IDs.

Rikita responded that the incident showed the effectiveness of the law. "The law applies to everyone, whether you're a nun or not," he said.

The committee will continue working on the bill today, hearing testimony from the public.