When Texas voters head to the polls in November, they will be required to present one of seven specific forms of photo identification before they are able to cast their ballot.

Under Senate Bill 14, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2011 but did not take effect until a June 25 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, voters will be required to present one of the following forms of identification before voting:

  • Texas driver's license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
  • Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
  • Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
  • Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS
  • United States military identification card containing the cardholder's photograph
  • United States citizenship certificate containing the cardholder's photograph
  • United States passport

Hays County Elections Administrator Joyce Cowan said for most, the law would not change much. In her 28 years working with the county, most of the voters Cowan sees bring their driver's license to the polls, even though they did not need it until now. The more vulnerable populations are likely to be the elderly and students, she said.

"Most of us are going to have driver's licenses," Cowan said Aug. 6. "It's the portion of the population who do not have driver's licenses that we need to make aware of what they need to do to get an ID to be able to vote in the elections."

Cowan said in her experience working on Texas State University's campus, many students would travel from class to class carrying only their student ID card for identification. Under the new law, student ID cards, utility bills and identification cards issued by employers will not be acceptable forms of identification.

The elderly will often give up their driver's license, so when it comes time to vote, their license may be expired, Cowan said. If a driver's license is more than 60 days past its expiration, it will not be accepted as a legitimate form of identification at the polls.

"I didn't write the bill," Cowan said. "My office didn't write the bill. Hays County didn't write the bill. It's a state thing, and it's something we have to put into effect whether we are for it or against it. It's something we all have to do."