Campus ID News
Card, mobile credential, payment and security
FEATURED
PARTNERS
Votingbooth 1

Texas to decide on student IDs for voter identification

Andrew Hudson   ||   Feb 22, 2019  ||   ,

Texas could be the next state to make the student ID card a valid form of voter identification at voting booths, following a bill proposed by Texas State Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood this week.

The issue of voter identification, and how to execute it, is a topic of discussion that's crossed paths with the campus card before. It's a seemingly fragmented conversation that's ultimately decided on a state-by-state basis, but one that calls into question whether the student ID card should take on a larger role in the identity chain.

State Rep. Zwiener's House Bill 1950 seeks to add student ID cards to the list of acceptable forms of voter identification at polling locations across the state. The bill would allow Texas college students to vote after presenting a campus card alone.

In a press release from Zwiener, she explains that she introduced the legislation in order to encourage increased civic engagement among young people.

The bill would add student IDs to the current list of acceptable credentials. Per the Texas secretary of state, voters must currently present one of the following forms of photo identification in order to vote:

  • Texas Driver license
  • Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC)
  • Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
  • Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS
  • US military identification card containing the person's photograph
  • US citizenship certificate containing the person's photograph
  • US passport (book or card)

In order for students to use their campus card to vote, they must be enrolled at a public college in Texas and be registered to vote. Like the other acceptable forms of voter ID in Texas, the student ID card must also bear a photo of the cardholder. Per the Texas secretary of state's office, the name on the photo ID used at the voter booth should also match the voter registration card or be "substantially similar."

Citing statistics from the Texas Institutions of Higher Education's Enrollment Forecast 2017-2030, Zwiener’s release noted more than 600,000 students are currently enrolled in public universities in the state of Texas.

|| TAGS:
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

RECENT ARTICLES

CampusIDNews: Open standards for campus mobile credentials series intro graphic for part 2 on PKOC

Part 2: Exploring the PKOC standard for campus mobile credentials

Campus access control systems are built to answer the seemingly straightforward question, “Should this person be allowed through this door?” But before the system can make that decision, it first must answer the question, “Is the credential itself legitimate?” That is the precise question the Public Key Open Credential standard was designed to answer, and […]
Ed Sullivan from EntryReady gives a video interview on EntryReady's expansion into higher ed with Apple, Google and Samsung wallet support

EntryReady expands into higher ed with Apple, Google, and Samsung wallet support

Ed Sullivan, Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of EntryReady, discusses how the company's experience in hotel access control is shaping its expansion into higher education. After developing NFC- and RFID-based locking systems for hotels and resorts, EntryReady is looking to bring that technology to campus residence halls, replacing traditional brass keys with mobile wallet credentials. […]
Open standards for campus mobile credentials article series intro screen with college girl using phone to enter a building

Part 1: An intro to open standards for campus mobile credentials

Traditionally, campus access control has largely been built around a simple proposition. Start by committing to a credential, install compatible readers and locks, and make sure all the systems behind them can recognize one another. That model works. It also creates a problem that can become increasingly expensive as a campus grows and technology changes. […]
CIDN logo reversed
The only publication dedicated to the use of campus cards, mobile credentials, identity and security technology in the education market. CampusIDNews – formerly CR80News – has served more than 6,500 subscribers for more than two decades.
Twitter

Great inverview on the Public Key Open Credential (PKOC) standard with ELATEC's Jason Ouellette, Chairman of the Board for the @PSIAlliance.

Attn: friends in the biometrics space. Nominations close Friday for the annual Women in Biometrics Awards. Take five minutes to recognize a colleague or even yourself. http://WomenInBiometrics.com

Load More...
Contact
CampusIDNews is published by AVISIAN Publishing
315 E. Georgia St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.AVISIAN.com[email protected]
Use our contact form to submit tips, corrections, or questions to our team.
©2026 CampusIDNews. All rights reserved.