Federal court strikes down ‘discriminatory’ Texas voter ID law

“One order of business is for our Congress to pass an updated version of the Voting Rights Act that would correct some of the problems that have arisen”. We received more than 100 calls from over 30 states. “If you poll the average American they’ll say yeah, I can show an ID”.

President Barack Obama today will mark the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by calling on lawmakers to restore the landmark law.

But he said that initiatives in state legislatures to require drivers licenses and other forms of photo identification and to make it harder to vote early were having the same discriminating effect.

Cunningham said his organization is advocating for legislation now stalled in Congress that would rectify the loss of Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which required states with a history of voter discrimination to obtain Justice Department approval for any changes that could affect voting practices.

After years of rising national tension, the murder of several voting rights activists and the attack on marchers in Selma, Alabama, it appeared to some that the 15 amendment was insufficient to protecting the voting rights of black citizens.

“Texas is likely to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the state also could ask the full 5th Circuit to review the case”.

Other Republican-controlled states, including Wisconsin and North Carolina, have passed similar voter ID measures in recent years, but the Texas law signed by then-Gov.

“What often ends up happening, though, is when there are laws restricting voting, it ends up motivating people to vote”, she said.

However, the decision was not an outright victory for supporters of the Voting Rights Act, as the court sent the law back to a lower court to be amended. “We’re going to try to get everybody to register to vote”, he said.

Rep. Henry “Mickey” Michaux, a Durham Democrat, spoke of the fight for voter rights 50 years ago.

Lynch wondered during the video conference, if the federal appeals court were actually looking at the calendar when they decided to release their decision the day before the 50 anniversary of the signing into law of the Voting Rights Act.