Took them long enough, not that I’m complaining.
The only voter ID anyone should need
Two weeks after Texas’ voter ID law was scheduled to go into effect, the measure is back in the U.S. Department of Justice’s hands.
The Texas secretary of state’s office on Thursday submitted its latest batch of data in hopes of satisfying the federal government’s request for proof that the law, SB 14 by state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, will not disenfranchise minority or lower-income voters. The law, passed during the 82nd Texas Legislature, would require voters to furnish a state-issued ID before casting a ballot.
Under Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department reserves the right to review laws that affect voter participation before they are enacted. The federal government now has 60 days to review the recently submitted information and render a decision.
The rest of the story is a review of how we got here, plus the information that the SOS doesn’t think the data it sent was very reliable. Though the SOS has now finally complied with the DOJ’s request, the state is expecting the law to not be precleared, as was the fate of South Carolina’s law. Assuming that happens, you can expect the whole thing to wind up before the Supreme Court. It’s going to be a long year.
“The only voter ID anyone should need”
This is 100% correct. The certificate is mailed to the address of record making the opportunity for fraud very remote. We’ve had how many cases prosecuted by the District Attorney for this? Oh, that’s right, ZERO.
Of course we know it’s not about protecting the ballot box, it’s about preventing (some) Citizens their right to vote.
Many will say it’s no big deal, you have to show a photo ID to cash a check or board a plane, but they miss the point. Barely 1.5% of the population voted to elect my new City Council Member, we complain about the lack of participation, and yet we’re making it even harder to cast a vote.