Texas Sues Feds Over Voter ID;Says ‘Colorblind’ Policy Bans Racial Breakdown Of Voter Data
Says ‘Colorblind’ Policy Bans Racial Breakdown Of Voter Data
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/texas_sues_feds_over_voter_id_law_says_lack_of_voter_data_meant_to_make_electorial_process_colorblind.php
The state of Texas said Monday that it can’t provide voter data allowing the federal government to evaluate whether its voter ID law is discriminatory because they don’t track racial and ethnic data in order to “facilitate a colorblind electoral process.”
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced on Monday Texas was suing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in an effort to “fast-track” its authority to enforce a voter ID law the state claims would “help deter and detect election fraud.”
Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, Texas has the burden of proving that its proposed voter ID law isn’t discriminatory. DOJ officials told Texas in a letter in November that it had provided “incomplete” information on the voter ID law signed by Gov. Rick Perry. The Justice Department blocked a voter ID law in South Carolina (which is also covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act) because the state’s data showed the law would have a greater impact on non-white residents.
Abbott’s lawsuit argued that it wasn’t a Section 5 violation even “if minorities may be statistically less likely than whites to currently possess” government issued photo ID.