Reactions To Texas Voter ID Decision

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A three-judge panel tossed Texas’ voter ID law on Thursday, ruling it would have a burdensome impact on racial minorities. Some reactions from those involved in the case:

“Today, the court affirmed that Texas’s photo identification law violates the Voting Rights Act; this law posed a direct threat to the right of every Texan to vote. It would have muffled the voice of those that need government’s ear the most — Latinos, African Americans, the poor, and the elderly.” –Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, Chairman of MALC.

“This clear victory affirms how vital Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is in protecting minority voting rights. It’s important to protect the integrity of our elections and stop voter fraud, but we should not be making it harder for millions of eligible Americans, including seniors and minorities, to participate in our democracy. Clearly the court agrees.” — Bob Kengle, co-director, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

“This is a victory for American democracy. This decision protects free and fair elections. The wholesale attacks on the rights of voters across our nation disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of senior citizens, students, veterans and people of color cannot be tolerated.  These massive voter suppression efforts demonstrate the continued need for the Voting Rights Act.” —  Benjamin Todd Jealous, President & CEO of the NAACP.

“By blocking this law, the court reaffirmed the right of all people in this country to participate in our democracy. The ACLU remains committed to helping enforce the Voting Rights Act, and we will continue to challenge any law that threatens the fairness of the voting process for any U.S. citizen.” — Nancy Abudu, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project.

“We are thrilled with today’s decision. The court has upheld our most basic and fundamental right by siding with common sense and this decision will help ensure that the world’s leading democracy provides for equality at the voting booth,” — Linda Krefting, President of the League of Women Voters of Texas.

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