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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

Three of the U.S. Senates most vulnerable Democrats in this years midterm elections are urging President Barack Obama against immediately proceeding with executive orders to revise U.S. immigration policy.

Senator Mark Begich of Alaska says Obamas priority should be border security, while Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire say Obama should not act unilaterally on immigration even though the Republican-led House is unlikely to take up the issue on its own.

The Democrat-led Senate last year passed a bipartisan bill to create a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants.

I am extremely disappointed that the House has stalled on comprehensive immigration reform, but this is an issue that I believe should be addressed legislatively and not through executive order, Hagan said in a statement.

Obama said yesterday that hell announce soon his executive action on immigration, further muddying an administration timeline thats been a source of friction with Democrats like Hagan, Shaheen and Begich who are up for re-election in closely contested races. North Carolina and Alaska are rated tossups by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, while the New Hampshire race leans Democratic.

Obama said his goals are to put more resources into border enforcement, encourage legal immigration and give undocumented immigrants whove been in the U.S. for an extended period a path to legal status so they can pay taxes. He said he has begun to receive some of the recommendations he sought from his cabinet members on actions he can take unilaterally.

Republicans need a net gain of six seats to take control of the 100-member Senate. While action by Obama would energize Hispanic voters for Democratic candidates, polls in some battleground states indicate the prospect of an executive order may spur Republican turnout.

After House Republicans made clear they wouldnt bring immigration legislation up for a vote, Obama said in June he wanted the recommendations from Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson before the end of summer and that he would act without further delay.

Shaheen also issued a statement saying that she would not support a piecemeal approach issued by executive order. She said she believes that House Republicans should pass the bipartisan reform bill the Senate cleared last year.

Begich said in an e-mail that securing our borders has to be the priority, and that should be the presidents focus.

The rest is here:
Senate Democrats Urge Obama Against Orders on Immigration

Washington When an election is just two months away, its not unusual for the state of the economy as measured by the Labor Departments monthly job numbers to be taken as an important straw in the wind.

This time around, though, headlines stating that the economy gained just 142,000 jobs in August, well below forecasters' expectations, may not represent much of a setback for Democrats seeking to retain control of the Senate.

Yes, the headline is negative about the economy and on balance, that stands to hurt the congressional-election chances of the party controlling the White House.

But several forces serve to play down the opportunity for Republicans to gain momentum on a message that Democrats have mismanaged the economy.

Polling evidence suggests the economy isnt as big a factor in this election as it was in the past few cycles. Its still the top priority, but at a lower level of intensity. The share of Americans mentioning an economic issue as the nations most important problem has dropped from 86 percent early in 2009 to 38 percent this August, according to Gallup. That leaves more room for other factors local issues, perceptions of personal character to be decisive.

Also, the American electorate is fairly hardened in its views of the political parties and their economic performance. Most people who will turn out for Nov. 4 midterm elections essentially know which party theyll be voting for.

The role of swing voters is limited. Yes, its possible that some Senate races may hinge on which way the undecided voters break, not just on which party can turn out more of its solid base. But even there, political independents were hardly feeling sanguine about the economy before Friday. So its far from clear that a disappointing month for jobs gives Republicans new leverage against Democrats.

In short, the weaknesses of the economy are now an old and familiar story for members of both parties and those in between.

Today we learned the U.S. labor force shrank by 64k ... in August and that we have the worst labor force participation rate in decades, Ed Gillespie, a Republican seeking a Virginia seat in the US Senate, said on Twitter Friday morning.

He was reminding his followers of longstanding trends.

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Jobs report: not necessarily a job-killer for Democrats facing voters

Theodore Wafer: Renisha McBride #39;s Killer Sentenced To 17 years
Fear of a Non-White Nation: The GOP #39;s Problem With Hispanics Goes Much Deeper Than Immigration Reform: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/Fear-of-a-Non-White-Nation--The-GOP-s-Pr...

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Theodore Wafer: Renisha McBride's Killer Sentenced To 17 years - Video

President Obama tried on Friday to address concerns among Democrats and immigration advocates about how and when he will take promised executive action to overhaul the nations immigration policies.

The debate over how Obama should address immigration has caused a fissure among the presidents allies and congressional Democrats in recent weeks. The Democrats are divided over whether the president should take executive action before the elections or hold off until after so he can assess the political makeup of Congress heading into his final years in office.

Obama allowed on Friday that he would make a decision fairly soon, but his comments did little to reassure those who had been pushing him to act before the November elections, on the theory that bold executive action could spur turnout among Democratic voters and earn the party broader support from business and agricultural groups.

Increasingly, those voices appear on the losing end of a internal struggle within the party.

We get it, said Frank Sharry, founder and executive director of Americas Voice, an immigration reform group. But Sharry, a generally supportive ally of the White House on immigration matters, seemed especially frustrated Friday. Obama has a track record of making promises in the immigration arena and failure to deliver. This has the feeling of yet another promise made that might not be kept, he said.

Its such a squandered opportunity to make history, he added.

Even as Obama reviews his options, several of his top advisers, including Valerie Jarrett and domestic policy chief Cecilia Muoz, began reaching out this week to labor leaders and immigration activists to say that he is likely to wait until after the elections to announce changes.

Several Democratic senators locked in tight reelection battles have suggested in recent days that Obama should wait for Congress to act. In a campaign debate this week, Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) said Obama should not take executive action to ease deportations. And Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) said in a statement that the White House is sending mixed messages on immigration. He faulted partisanship for stalling progress on immigration, but added: That doesnt give the President carte blanche authority to sidestep Congress when he doesnt get his way.

White House aides are explaining the delay by saying that the substance of Obamas executive actions will be more important than the timing, according to several people who received calls.

Janet Murgua, president of the National Council of La Raza, said, Normally the substance does matter over the timing. But for our community, this is converging. This is now about the presidents legacy.

Link:
As Obama weighs moves on immigration, issue is splintering Democrats