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

Diagram of the Genetec and Illumia solution for higher education
Sep 10, 26 /

Illumia and Genetec solution creates new access control integration for higher education

A new access control integration between Illumia and Genetec is designed to help higher ed institutions automatically update door access privileges when new credentials are issued or roles change. The integration works with both Illumia’s on-prem TSE platform and its cloud-based Transact IDX platform. It connects the systems with the Genetec Security Center to enable […]
Rosty Chen, Michigan State University prepares for a video interview
Sep 04, 26 / ,

MSU builds stronger campus card office by empowering student employees

When Rosty Chen’s campus ID office at Michigan State University lost its manager during a hiring freeze, the remaining staff had to absorb the work. The situation became even more difficult when another full-time employee left, further reducing the team from four people to three. Instead of relying only on the remaining staff to carry […]
Mother and daughter working at a computer
Aug 26, 26 / ,

PayPal and Venmo bring new tuition payment options to campus

At Bellarmine University, Butler University, and Kansas State University, students and parents can pay tuition with a method they commonly use for other daily transactions – PayPal and Venmo. This is possible because of recent integrations between PayPal and three leading campus payments solution providers. Collectively, the three partners – TouchNet, Illumia, and Nelnet Campus Commerce […]
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.