Those without an ID can sign an affidavit that certifies they are a USA citizen and present proof of residence, such as a utility bill, bank statement or paycheck.
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“Reasonable impediment declarations” shall be translated into Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese in Texas counties required to do so in accordance with Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act.
While lawyers for the groups suing Texas and the Justice Department have agreed to the deal, a federal judge must approve the plan.
“The provisions we’ve agreed to now are critical safeguards for voters”, said Houston attorney Chad Dunn, who is one of the lead attorneys in the lawsuit against Texas.
More than 30 states have voter ID restrictions or regulations, majority of which are in Republican-controlled state houses.
Gonzales Ramos must still weigh a major issue that the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals left unresolved in its ruling last month: whether Texas lawmakers intentionally discriminated against minorities in passing the ID law.
North Carolina was found last week to have not only discriminated against minorities but to have also passed tougher election rules with the intent on doing so.
The agreement comes about two weeks after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that S.B. NPR’s Kelly McEvers talks to Richard L. Hasen, a professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine, about the future of voter ID legislation.
Even before the recent burst of decisions, judges had begun to strike down or soften voter-ID laws in lower-profile decisions, he said. Under the law as originally written, any voter lacking state-issued photo ID or a passport would have been denied the right to vote on Election Day.
Abbott’s representative and Paxton’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The U.S. Supreme Court said that voter ID is a legitimate means of preventing voter fraud, and Texans widely support it to defend the integrity of our elections”, Paxton said in an e-mailed statement. “This case is not over”. That will allow them to cast a regular full ballot, and their vote will be counted. “I can not support any bill that restricts the right to vote”, she said.
Under the new agreement, voters in Texas who have at least one valid ID card can cast their ballot.
Opponents say more than 600,000 voters lacked a suitable ID under the law. Under Wednesday’s agreement, Texas must spell out those plans, which are subject to court approval, by August 15.
Voters without photo ID now will be required to present some traditional forms of identification, such as a paycheck or a utility bill, and then fill out the affidavit.
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This story was produced by the Texas Tribune.
