Texas agreed to weaken its voter ID law as federal courts across the United States block states from using Republican-imposed election restrictions in November.
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Opponents say 600,000 voters in Texas lack a form of identification that would be accepted. Election officials can not question whether an individual’s reason for not having a photo ID is reasonable or truthful, per the agreement. Wednesday’s agreement will now go to U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos for her approval. Texas must provide such affidavits in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.
The agreement between the state and voting rights advocates Wednesday comes after a federal appeals court ruled that Texas’ strict voter ID law passed in 2011 discriminates against minorities and the poor.
In North Carolina, the decision to strike down such a law could have an impact in the state where Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is in a tight battle with Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Abbott’s representative and Paxton’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The burden has now shifted to the state, Dunn said. He said the law has wide support in Texas to defend the integrity of elections.
While the deal expands the number of IDs voters may present at the polls, Common Cause Texas, a organization that works to strengthen voters’ rights, criticizes the compromise, saying the $2.5 million allocated for voter outreach is insufficient. Election officials can only challenge a vote if they have conclusive evidence that the person is not who they say they are.
The lower court found that 608,470 voters, or 4.5 percent of all registered voters in Texas, did not have a voter ID.
Critics of the voter ID law said it, and similar statutes that have been passed in Republican-governed states, were meant to make it harder for minorities such as African-Americans and Hispanics, who tend to support Democrats, to vote. Under Wednesday’s agreement, Texas must spell out those plans, which are subject to court approval, by August 15. In trade, individuals presenting a valid “voter registration certificate, certified birth certificate, a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government check, a paycheck, or any other government document that displays the voter’s name and an address and complete and sign a reasonable impediment declaration shall be permitted” to vote a regular ballot as well.
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This story was produced by the Texas Tribune.
