"Holding" Up Voter Identification Laws

August 5, 2013

In June the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act saying that it is wrong to require a small number of states to “pre-clear” changes to voting procedures based upon a model developed in the 1960s.  The court’s decision cleared the way for the Texas Voter ID law to take effect.  In 2008 the Court upheld the constitutionality of Indiana’s voter ID requirement by a 6-3 vote.  Even though the Supreme Court found such laws constitutional, last year DOJ refused to allow a similar law to take effect here in Texas. 

Fast forward to July 25, 2013: DOJ, ignoring numerous Supreme Court decisions, files suit in a San Antonio Federal Court to reinstitute its “pre-clearance” authority and to stop the Texas Voter ID law from taking effect.  This move is a legal and technical “end–run” around the Supreme Court’s decision and an attempt to circumvent the will of the people of our state. But this is not the first time the administration, and in particular Eric Holder, have displayed contempt for the rule of law.  Holder was even found in contempt of Congress. 

As Senator Cruz said it “Attorney General Holder's recent announcement is just the latest example of his politicization of the Department of Justice. Holder's refusal to accept the judgment of the U.S. Supreme Court regarding preclearance continues the Department's longstanding pattern of refusing to follow the law.”

Holder claims that Texas’s redistricting proves we still discriminate.  Wait a minute, didn’t the state legislature adopt the Federal Court’s maps earlier this year?  Is he also saying the Federal Court system discriminates?  Or is this a case of whose Ox is getting gored?

Think of all the times a person is required to have an ID: using a credit card, cashing a check, registering for school and the list goes on.  Add to this getting one of the seven acceptable types of ID is free if a person cannot afford one -- Texas DPS is already issuing voter IDs at no cost!  The goal of requiring a voter ID is to prevent  fraud and to protect the integrity of the election process.  To us this is a no-brainer! 

Integrity of the voting process is paramount and must be safeguarded.  Having the Voter ID bill in place is just one key element to making sure this happens.

But, with all the efforts that have been made over the years to improve the voting process, there is still one issue that continues to plague us. This November there will be a Constitutional Amendment election.  If history is repeated, only about four percent of Galveston County’s registered voters will come to the polls and cast their ballot.  In November of 2011 only 6,900 of over 175,000 of Galveston’s voters made decisions that affect us all.  Regardless of whether a photo ID is required, don’t let anything else keep you from voting!  It’s your right and the three of us will do whatever it takes to help protect that right!

Until next week,

Bill, Mark and John