3/19/12
Political Participation [2] | Voting Rights Act [3]
The State of Texas filed Texas v. Holder in federal court in Washington, D.C. under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, seeking approval of its proposed restrictive voter ID law, or, in the alternative, to declare Section 5 unconstitutional. The Department of Justice has already rejected implementation of the law after finding that it would be harmful to minority voters.
Because the proposed voter ID law would impose significant burdens on young African-American student voters in Texas, many of whom have previously relied on student IDs to vote in past elections, LDF represents the Texas League of Young Voters Education Fund, and a group of African-American student voters attending historically Black universities in Texas, as Defendant-Intervenors in this case.
Texas's restrictive voter ID law would have a disproportionate effect on voters of color throughout the state. Nationally, only 8% of white voting age citizens, while 25% of African-American voting age citizens, lack a government-issued photo ID. Under the proposed law, concealed handgun licenses would be acceptable forms of photo ID, but student IDs would not.
LDF’s clients will urge the court to reject Texas's discriminatory photo ID law and to uphold Section 5's constitutionality.