They note that it is “on trial”
Last week, the spotlight turned to the federal court in Corpus Christi, where the Justice Department and several advocacy groups are fighting Texas’ absurdly strict voter-ID law. Passed in 2011 by the Republican-dominated Legislature, the law accepts as proof of identity a concealed-weapon permit but not a student ID card.
Laws like these used to be blocked by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which required that the federal government preapprove any voting rules enacted by states and localities with a history of discriminatory voting practices. But in a destructive ruling last year, the Supreme Court struck down Section 5 as unconstitutional.
Of course, the editorial conveniently leaves out relevant information about that ruling. No surprise there.
In the Texas suit, testimony has shown that about 1.2 million eligible voters — including disproportionate numbers of lower-income, black and Latino voters, who tend to vote Democratic — lack a photo ID that would allow them to cast a ballot. Some never had the necessary underlying documents, such as a birth certificate; others cannot afford the time or money it takes to track them down.
In other words, the NYTEB is upset, along with Left leaning groups, that illegal aliens would not be able to vote in American elections.
Texas says it has made it easier to get a photo ID by providing for a free “Election Identification Certificate.†Apparently, Texans haven’t gotten the memo: as of Friday, fewer than 300 people statewide had managed to obtain a certificate.
Is it Texas’ fault that Democrat voters are stupid and lazy?
Rather than find a way to appeal to a wider swath of voters, Republican lawmakers rig the game with pointless obstacles to voting. The courts are finally catching on, but in the meantime, many of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens are shut out of the democratic process.
I’m waiting for the editorial which decries the requirement for voter ID in heavily Democrat voting Hawaii, along with the home states Obama and Biden. In fact, the majority of states require some sort of ID, though many do not require a photo ID. And 82% of American citizens approve of voter ID requirements.
Interestingly, the thing that interested me with this editorial was the subhead showing on the web front page and opinion page, which reads
An absurdly strict law that accepts as proof of identity a concealed-weapon permit but not a student identification card is being challenged in court.
That was totally ignored within the editorial itself. But, I personally agree with this. Neither requires that the holder be a Texas citizen. Many college students in Texas reside in other states, and there is no requirement for Texas residency to obtain a Texas CCP. Furthermore, in many states one can obtain a state ID without residency. I have an expired Florida ID, obtained during spring break in Daytona. I, along with a bunch of friends, obtained the ID in order to get into all the bars free (except during Happy Hour), as all the drinking establishments waived the cover charge for locals.
Voter ID is not perfect. There will still be ways around it. But, it is better than nothing in attempting to establish who the voter is. What is needed is a system that says “yes, I am me, and I am fully eligible to vote in this precinct.”
Liberals were all for Doing Something when they lost the presidential elections in 2000 and 2004. Now? Not so much.
Teach typed: “In other words, the NYTEB is upset, along with Left leaning groups, that illegal aliens would not be able to vote in American elections.”
Illegal aliens cannot vote in US elections.
You’re winning this, so lighten up. The legislatures of conservative states are falling over themselves devising ways to suppress Democratic voters. The Supreme Court Republicans (The SCROTUS) have helped the Republicans.
Republicans are not dumb. They see the writing on the wall regarding national elections and demographics. They know they must consolidate their power now by all necessary means.