Struggling to Get a Driver’s License? Here’s How Nemecio Got Help Fast
By Erin Carden
After being incarcerated, Nemecio needed a Texas driver’s license. VoteRiders helped him get one in only a week, paving the way to employment and voting.
By Erin Carden
After being incarcerated, Nemecio needed a Texas driver’s license. VoteRiders helped him get one in only a week, paving the way to employment and voting.
Three and a half months—that’s how long Nemecio would have had to wait until he could get a new driver’s license. It was the earliest appointment available at all of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) offices within a reasonable distance from him.
After five years in prison, forty-one-year-old Nemecio needed a job to get back on his feet. Luckily, he landed a position as a tool pusher at an oil field. The problem was that his previous driver’s license had expired, and waiting three and a half months for a new one was way too long.
Thankfully, Nemecio’s friend passed along VoteRiders’ Helpline number (866-432-8683) and told him their team had helped him get his driver’s license for free. He suggested Nemecio contact them for help finding an earlier appointment. Eager for some support in the midst of this bureaucratic nightmare, Nemecio reached out to VoteRiders and was connected to Susan, a VoteRiders Voter ID Assistance volunteer. Susan called her DPS contact to expedite his appointment and let him know that VoteRiders would cover the cost of his new driver’s license. After just one week, Nemecio was on his way to getting his license.
“She took time out of her day to help me out, and she went through the whole process with me,” Nemecio said. “Susan was a great help; I could ask her anything, and she would always answer.”
With a new Texas driver’s license, Nemecio can start working and open a bank account.
“There are so many things that people take for granted because they always have their ID. But when you don’t have it—it’s like, damn. I’ve had to depend on somebody else and trouble them to drive me places—it’s a big hassle.“
Nemecio will finish his parole in less than one year. He will then be eligible to vote and can use his Texas ID to cast his ballot.
“I’m really into politics now,” Nemecio exclaimed. “If you know that you’re going to go vote and you’re going to try to talk to other people about voting, you’re going to influence other people, whether you want to or not. If you have the opportunity to vote, you have the opportunity to shake things up around you and other people.”
If you or someone you know needs ID information or assistance, call or text our helpline at 866-432-8643 or visit VoteRiders.org/help to learn more about how we can help.
Erin Carden is VoteRiders’ Digital Communications Coordinator.
April 18, 2025.
BY ERIN MANSFIELD, USA TODAY — JULY 30, 2024 More than 8,000 disenfranchised under Ohio voter ID law Prior to the new law’s passage, Ohio had a less strict voter ID law that allowed those who could not provide photo ID to use a utility bill or other piece of official mail to verify their […]
Read More
When Laura contacted VoteRiders’ National Helpline on Saturday, March 29th, she imagined it would be unlikely that she would be able to vote in Wisconsin’s high-stakes election on April 1st because she didn’t have a Wisconsin state photo ID. Still, she wanted to start the process of getting one so that she would, at the […]
Read More
