Still the only voter ID anyone should need
A group of Latino voters is suing top state officials who they allege unlawfully conspired to violate their constitutional rights by singling them out for investigation and removal from the voter rolls because they are foreign-born.
Filed in a Corpus Christi-based federal court on Friday night, the suit alleges that the decision by state officials to advise counties to review the citizenship status of tens of thousands of registered voters it flagged using flawed data runs contrary to the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act because it imposes additional requirements to register to vote on naturalized citizens.
Joined in the suit by several organizations that advocate for Latinos in Texas, the seven voters suing the state all obtained their driver’s license before they became naturalized citizens and subsequently registered to vote.
Their lawsuit — which names Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas secretary of state David Whitley, attorney general Ken Paxton and one local official as defendants — asks the court to halt the state’s review and block officials from taking any action against them based on their national origin. It also asks Whitley to refrain from targeting new citizens for voter purges and to withdraw his current list “unless and until it acquires information that the voters are currently ineligible to vote.”
[…]
One of the plaintiffs — Julieta Garibay — has confirmed with Travis County election officials that she is on the list they received from the state. Five others believe they were included on the state’s list. Another plaintiff — Elena Keane — received a notice from Galveston County stating “there is reason to believe you may not be a United States citizen” and asking for proof of citizenship within 30 days to remain on the voter rolls.
Two days later, Keane received a second letter stating she had received the first letter in error.
Here’s the latest on that first lawsuit. This one was filed by MALDEF on behalf of the voters. The ACLU of Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project have threatened to sue if the SOS doesn’t rescind the advisory, so we may get a third filing before all is said and done. Keep at it and don’t let up, I say. The Chron has more.
How/why is this even a surprise ? The GOP gave up on ‘effective governing’ back in 2008 when Obama was elected, virtually washing their hands of it altogether – it should surprise no one that, eleven years later, they still are struggling with effective, well thought out policy and policy positions, instead concentrating on gerrymandering, maintaining the status quo, and painting everyone who’s not a WASP as the boogeyman. It’s that last gasp, white knuckle grasp on history NOT coupled with a vision for the changing future (an ostrich with it’s collective head in the sand) that is, ultimately, dangerous for all of us as they slog forward with more missteps than dance steps in these changing times.
Pretty damn sad.