FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Anna Núñez, ACLU of Texas, 713-325-7010, [email protected]
HOUSTON – On the eve celebrating the 50th anniversary of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, Texas’ voter ID law was struck down by a federal appeals court. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2011 Texas law violates the federal Voting Rights Act and carries a “discriminatory effect” upon the landmark civil rights law. In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas to use the voter ID law during its elections and required an estimated 13.6 million registered Texas voters to present a photo ID before being allowed to cast a ballot.
Rebecca L. Robertson, legal and policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas:
“The 5th Circuit’s decision confirming that the harshest voter ID law in the country discriminates is a victory for democracy and too long in coming. This decision demonstrates how important the Voting Rights Act still is, even though the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby weakened it. Congress should restore the preclearance provisions of the Act so that discriminatory laws are stopped before they disenfranchise voters.”
Sean Young, a staff attorney at the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, which filed an amicus brief in this case:
“On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, it is fitting for the court to recognize that laws that deliberately make it harder for black and Latino Americans to vote have no place in our democracy.”
