The Justice Department on Monday struck down a controversial Texas law that would have required voters to obtain a special ID card before they could vote in public elections.
According to the Justice Department the law would discriminate against poor people and minorities, specifically Hispanics.
In a letter to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office on Monday Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Tom Perez said:
“According to the state’s own data, a Hispanic registered voter is at least 46.5 percent, and potentially 120.0 percent, more likely than a non-Hispanic registered voter to lack” a driver’s license or official non-driver ID card.
The law was proposed because lawmakers in the state believed voter fraud was running rampant in the area however federal officials found little evidence of voter fraud to justify the voter ID card ruling.
The department found that the cost of obtaining identification and traveling to Department of Public Safety offices unfairly targeted poor voters.
In its findings the Justice Department wrote:
“Even after submitting data that show over 600,000 registered voters do not have either a license or personal identification card—and that a disproportionate share of those registered voters are Hispanic—the state has failed to propose, much less adopt, any program.”
In order for Texas to establish a voter ID law they must have all changes approved by federal authorities.
This isn’t the first time that the Justice Department has struck down voter ID laws, a similar law in South Carolina was struck down by the Justice Department in December 2011.
Do you think voter ID laws should be allowed to move forward or do they unfairly target poor and minority US citizens?
Why would they have trouble obtaining an ID card? They sure don't have any trouble obtaining a food stamp card!
By the way, we don't have a Justice system. We have a Legal system.
The government should provide them, if they can shell out money for stuff like the effect of cocaine on quail then they can provide a Voter I.D. card.
You are so right.
Their is no reason they cannot obtain ID cards. The rides can be arranged through the church, relatives, Senior Citizen centers… In the case of hispanic residence…. It is most likely they want to stay out of the system if they cannot use the aforementioned types of transportation. If they really want but cant, they should call the county official or departments that cater to hispanics.
It would be hard to provide them unless they came forward and asked for one…. which in that case, they could apply. Of course, the cost should be free to the poor, elderly and students.
Maybe, just maybe, they are less likely to have one because they are "not here".
many of them might be able to spell better than you did in your post.
If they can't afford one, one could be givin for free 1 time to legal residents of the United States.
Judy Hudson Trammell you are correct!
That's the point of why the justice department is stopping it. They don't care how many illegals are here. Only legal tax paying citizens care. Those of us who can't find jobs because of too many illegals.
Merry Ragni is right! You have to have ID to get food stamps so why can't they use that to get a voters cards. This should be a nation wide requirement. They also need ID to cash their checks. I am sooo for E-Verify!
this is TOTAL FUCKING BULLSHIT…. pardon my american.