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AUSTIN The numbers are in on a state-issued, free election photo ID card, and Texas Democrats say theyre a sign the state needs to beef up its efforts to reach voters.

In the first 14 months that the card formally known as the Election Identification Certificate has been offered, the state has issued just 279 election IDs.

That number represents practically zero percent of the estimated 1.3 million registered voters who dont have a drivers license and are in need of a photo ID to vote under state law, 10 Senate Democrats said in a letter this week to Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry, whose office oversees elections.

Texas Democrats say theyre worried about how many registered voters will be barred from voting in November. With federal, state and county offices on the ballot, its the highest-interest election yet since the law requiring photo ID took effect.

Alicia Pierce, a spokeswoman for Berry, says in the statewide elections held since the vote went into effect, the agency didnt see any widespread problems.

The states voter ID law is on trial in a federal court in Corpus Christi. Republicans contend it is needed to prevent voter fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice, state civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers say the law is discriminatory to minorities who are less likely to own a drivers license.

The same barriers that prevented these Texans from obtaining a driver's license or ID card before the bill are the same barriers that persist under the lesser-known [certificate] program, Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, said in a written statement.

The certificate provision was added to the law as Democrats complained about possible disenfranchisement. It allows for a free ID card for voting only, but Democrats have complained of hurdles to getting the ID.

They include the travel to a state office, having to take time off from work to get an ID, and documents to prove citizenship. Birth certificates can cost $42, a sizable chunk of some Texans monthly income, plaintiffs have argued in the trial.

The EIC effort needs to be more targeted in identifying these Texans to ensure we havent taken away their right to vote, he said.

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Texas Democrats urge state to step up efforts to reach voters who need photo IDs