Court strikes down Texas voter ID law

A federal judge struck down Texas’s voter ID law Thursday, comparing the measure to a poll tax that intentionally discriminates against Hispanic and black voters.

“The draconian voting requirements imposed … will disproportionately impact low-income Texans,” U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos wrote in her lengthy 147-page opinion. “A disproportionate number of Texans living in poverty are African-Americans and Hispanics.”

{mosads}The decision also bashed the law’s speedy run through the Texas legislature, which saw limited debate and a rules change made solely to get the bill through without the typical two-thirds majority it would require.
 
“We are extremely heartened by the court’s decision, which affirms our position that the Texas voter identification law unfairly and unnecessarily restricts access to the franchise,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement released shortly after the decision.
 
The Texas attorney general’s office said that it would “immediately” appeal the decision to “avoid voter confusion in the upcoming election.” If the decision holds, or an appeal isn’t decided in time, the law will not be in effect for November’s midterm elections.
 
The court’s decision came the same night that the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Wisconsin’s voter ID law. 

There’s been a national debate over the merits of voter ID laws, since Republican-led states started implementing those measures. Proponents say they’re vital to protect against in-person voter fraud, while opponents charge that the rules are simply meant to disenfranchise minority voters who are more likely to vote for Democrats.

Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) served as the lead plaintiff challenging the Texas law. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), a potential candidate for president in 2016, was the lead defendant.

Veasey praised the ruling in a statement and bashed state Attorney General Greg Abbott for his decision to file an appeal, calling it “shameful and self-serving.”

“While we don’t know for sure how Attorney General Greg Abbott’s appeal will affect this ruling, we do know that an appeals court has never overturned a finding by a lower court of intentional discrimination,” he said. “Abbott should do what’s best for all Texans instead of pushing a discriminatory political agenda that would disenfranchise eligible voters.”

Abbot is running for governor against State Sen. Wendy Davis (D).  

This post was updated at 4:51 p.m.