Court Rules That Texas Voter ID Law Intentionally Discriminates
A federal district court has ruled that a Texas voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act because the state legislature intended the law to be discriminatory. The ruling effectively halts enforcement of the law, which poses a significant threat to voter privacy and could discourage legal voters. Last summer, the Fifth Circuit Court Appeals held that the Texas law had a "discriminatory effect" on minorities' voting rights and sent the case back to the district court to reexamine whether the law was passed with “discriminatory purpose.” EPIC filed an amicus brief with the appeals court arguing that that the Texas law places an unconstitutional burden on voters' rights to informational privacy because of the excessive collection of personal data. Such bills "disenfranchise individuals who seek to protect their personal information from data breach, cybercrime, and commercial exploitation," EPIC wrote. The Supreme Court recently declined to review the Fifth Circuit’s ruling.
April 12, 2017| Share:
