What's Going on with Voter ID in Texas?
What's Going on with Voter ID in Texas?
Last Sunday, New Year's Day, was the day that Texas' new photo voter ID law (SB 100) was supposed to go into effect.
It didn't.
Instead, Texas is still waiting to see whether the Justice Department signs off on the new law - a required step known as 'preclearance.'
That's a step that Texas and 16 other (mostly southern) states, or parts of states, have to go through under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act before any new voting law goes into effect because of their history of discriminating against minority groups.
But Texans may have gotten a preview of what's coming with the DOJ's eve of Christmas Eve rejection of a very similar voter ID law in South Carolina on the basis that the law had a disproportionate impact on African-Americans.
And when he was in Austin just a few days before that, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder delivered a much heralded speech at the LBJ Library on voting rights in which he expressed serious concerns about efforts to erode the franchise around the country:
Despite our nation's long tradition of extending voting rights - to non-property owners and women, to people of color and Native Americans, and to younger Americans - today, a growing number of our fellow citizens are worried about the same disparities, divisions, and problems that - nearly five decades ago - LBJ devoted his Presidency to addressing. In my travels across this country, I've heard a consistent drumbeat of concern from many Americans, who - often for the first time in their lives - now have reason to believe that we are failing to live up to one of our nation's most noble, and essential, ideals.
As Congressman John Lewis described it, in a speech on the House floor this summer, the voting rights that he worked throughout his life - and nearly gave his life - to ensure are, "under attack... [by] a deliberate and systematic attempt to prevent millions of elderly voters, young voters, students, [and] minority and low-income voters from exercising their constitutional right to engage in the democratic process."Not only was he referring to the all-too-common deceptive practices we've been fighting for years. He was echoing more recent concerns about some of the state-level voting law changes we've seen this legislative season.
Excellent recap by Michael Li, the attorney who also posts to the Texas Redistricting blog.
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press it deserves. Voter ID is just a dressed up name for the repellent concept of vote theft that Section 5 was created to prevent.
Probably billions spent on it nationwide that could have been spent feeding, educating or healing people. 
I'm still scared about all the trials going on right now. 
we have reason to be.
I'm tired of being scared of the Lunatic, Irrational Bullies that comprise the GOP. It is time for Dems to stand up to bullies, even if they are Justices on the Supreme Court.
The feelings of the times influence decisions. I'm hoping the vibes we are putting out are enough of this crap. If we have to take to the streets again to get our votes to count, we will. We have been there before, no need to go back. I'm holding this all in the Light. Hoping for Good, but I understand how you feel. 
Let it languish, let it rot. This garbage legislation should die.
Michael Li at Texas Redistricting blog also did a round up post on Voter ID yesterday
Press round up: Voter ID, the Texas primary, and more
(snip)
The Texas Tribune reports on the State of Texas’ supplemental submission to the Justice Department on Thursday in connection with efforts to get preclearance for its voter ID law - and concerns that state election officials have with reliability of the data.
Linda Greenhouse writes in the New York TImes about how voter ID is maybe “the sharpest and most telling” difference between the Bush and Obama administrations.
NPR provides an extensive report on voter ID battles around the nation.
