The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and the Texas Civil Rights Project sent a letter today expressing concerns about the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission’s recommendation to close 87 Department of Public Safety (DPS) offices. These offices issue driver licenses and other identification and provide opportunities for eligible voters to register and update their voter registration information, across the state. This decision has the potential to negatively impact low-income, elderly, voters of color, and other Texans who use these offices to obtain identification to vote in Texas under the state’s photo identification (photo ID) law and to register to vote, which is required by the National Voter Registration Act. Decisions that impact the fundamental right to vote must be considered, analyzed, and reviewed scrupulously.
