After Voter ID Decision, What Happens Next?
Immediately after a federal court’s decision last week rejecting Texas’ voter ID law, Attorney General Greg Abbott pledged to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying that the decision “is wrong on the law.”
But voters shouldn’t expect to see anything change ahead of this year's general election, meaning that photo IDs probably won't be required to vote in the state in November. Because the court’s voter ID ruling was the result of a lawsuit also challenging Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, and because the state has pending litigation ...
Comments (4)
Rudy Gonzales
Greg Abbott is leading the Texas white people into oblivion with his segregationist rhetoric.
Federal judges counted the ways Texas discriminates against minorities and people of color on voter rights. Texas' Republican-controlled legislature weakened the influence of Latino voters and in some cases evinced "discriminatory intent" against both Latinos and African Americans. Remember this as you watch the Democratic convention.
The TEA-Libertarian-Republican-GOP-Evangelical fringe calling for voter ID to combat voter fraud, while enacting additional voting restrictions, in Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Their voter fraud has been totally debunked, but serves as a rallying cry for the minimally educated and grossly influence-able.
Another panel of federal judges unanimously struck down a voter-ID law passed by the legislature in March 2011, arguing that it would disproportionately harm African-American and Latino voters. Both decisions hinged on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires certain states with a history of racial discrimination in voting — including Texas — to prove that any changes in their voting laws or procedures do not hamper the voting rights of minorities.
Rulings detailed several examples of discriminatory practices in Texas:
Lawmakers drew some districts that looked like Latino majority districts on paper — but removed Latinos who voted regularly and replaced them with Latinos who were unlikely to vote.
Lawmakers widened the gap between the proportion of the population that is Latino and African Americans and the proportion of districts that are minority-controlled.
Texas removed economic centers and district offices from African-American and Latino districts, while giving white Republicans perks.
Divide and conquer: Texas "cracked" minority voters out of one district into three.
Texas passed a voter-ID law with requirements that would make it disproportionately difficult for African Americans and Latinos to vote.
Texans need to vote our all the confrontational-ist and purveyors of hate!
Dave Mundy via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Any changes will happen after independence.
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Just wasting taxpayer dollars. There is NO voter fraud.
gypsy314 ne
You knows America has went to hell in a hand basket when Texan voters will have there votes not count because Obama and democrats choose to support illegal aliens and the dead people to counter Texan voters count. I say Texans have vote for the Voter ID and we should demand it start now not later.