Texas tech glitches

By Mustang Bobby

They’re not just for Obamacare.

A Texas district judge who has been voting for the past five decades was almost barred from the polls Tuesday, thanks to the state’s newly implemented, stricter voter ID law. The law kicked in on Tuesday as early voting in Texas’ November 5 election began.

As she told local channel KIII News, 117th District Court Judge Sandra Watts was flagged for possible voter fraud because her driver’s license lists her maiden name as her middle name, while her voter registration form has her real middle name. This was the first time she has ever had a problem voting in 49 years. “What I have used for voter registration and for identification for the last 52 years was not sufficient yesterday when I went to vote,” she said.

In fairness, this isn’t a technical problem. In the matter of voter suppression that is the subtext of these laws in the name of preventing voter fraud, this is a feature, not a bug.

(Cross-posted at Bark Bark Woof Woof.)