Appeals Court Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Law

A federal appeals court this week said that the Texas voter ID law – the strictest in the nation –  discriminates against minorities and the poor, and must be softened by November. The White House took the unusual step of sending the Department of Justice to Texas to argue the case, and presented the court with at least half a million claims from registered voters who struggled to cast a ballot. Texas enforced the 2011 law in three elections. Though voters will still be asked to present identification at the polls, a lower court has been instructed to devise a way for Texas to accommodate those who cannot. The 9-6 decision concurred with a lower court ruling that Texas had violated the federal Voting Rights Act.