Texas Voter ID Law Struck Down By Fifth Circuit Panel

Texas’ strict voter identification law discriminates against black and Hispanic voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a federal appeals panel has ruled. Texas was among the states freed from having to receive federal approval for changes to their voting procedures in 2013, when the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act. Texas moved to pass new requirements that are among the strictest in the country, requiring voters to bring a government-issued photo ID to the polls. Poor and minority residents do not have easy access to birth certificates or other critical documents, the district court found in a ruling that the appeals court upheld.