Texas requires voters to show a state$-$issued photo ID in order to vote. Voters without a driver's license or other form of state$-$issued ID can obtain a Texas election identification certificate at no cost to the voter. Why does the state provide these election identification certificates for free?

All legal residents of Texas are entitled to one free government$-$issued ID card every four years.

These cards are part of a get out the vote effort conducted by the Secretary of State's office.

The federal government requires that every state keep track of all residents, and therefore all legal residents are required to have at least one state$-$issued ID card.

Requiring voters to pay for something that is necessary to vote would be a poll tax, which is unconstitutional.