On Aug. 31, a federal court tossed out Texas’s voter ID law, saying the regulations requiring voters to show photo identification violates the 1964 Voting Rights Act. The court stated that the regulations impose “strict, unforgiving burdens” on poor minority voters who might have difficulty obtaining ID cards. Greg Abbott, Texas’s Republican attorney general, argues against the latest verdict, saying that the judges are unfairly preventing Texas from taking action against voter fraud.
The Texas voter ID law was very simple. Basically, all voters within the state had to get a government-issued ID and photo to show poll workers they are not attempting to impersonate someone else. However, there is one catch that might have caused the federal court to block the law. Anyone who did not have any form of official state ID(social security card, driver’s license, passport, etc.) would have to travel to a state Department of Safety Office and obtain an election ID card. This forces some people to skip work and drive up to 250 miles to gain access to the voting booth. The cards are free, but people need to prove their identity first, which is sort of ironic, since they are there because they don’t have official ID. The majority of the time, voters have to pay 22$ for an official copy of their birth certificate.
Texas is now attempting to appeal to the Supreme Court. Attorney General Abott states that it is unjustified to prevent Texas from “implementing the same type of ballot integrity safeguards that are employed by Georgia and Indiana — and were upheld by the Supreme Court.” A situation similar to this recently happened in Florida, where its voter ID law was removed. Wisconsin and South Carolina have both attempted to impose voter ID laws, but the laws are currently being reviewed in court.
There is great support for both sides of the voter ID battle. Generally Republicans are in favor of the laws, while Democrats are not. Attorney General Eric Holder defends the court’s decision, saying Texas failed to prove that the laws will not “deny or abridge the right to vote on account on race.” Governor Rick Perry is disappointed with the verdict and stated “Chalk up another victory for fraud.”
