States and Voter ID Laws

Posted on August 31, 2012 by townsend

• Amid lawsuits and controversy, states prepare for voter ID, By Jake Grovum, August 30, 2012, Stateline: “Tennessee has held town halls in each of the state’s 95 counties and instituted special Voter ID-only hours in motor vehicle offices. Wisconsin has revamped its training scheme for 1,800 local elections managers. Pennsylvania just this week unveiled a new, streamlined voter ID card. Those are among the many steps states have taken to prepare for November’s elections under a host of new or stricter voter identification laws enacted around the country since 2010, even as challenges to those same laws continue to wind through the courts. The suits mostly claim that Voter ID discriminates against the poor and minorities who are less likely to carry the needed identification. In some states, lawsuits are casting doubt on what the rules will even be on Election Day…”
• Texas voter-ID law is blocked, By Sari Horwitz, August 30, 2012, Washington Post: “A federal court on Thursday blocked a Texas law that would have required voters to show photo identification, ruling that the legislation would impose ‘strict, unforgiving burdens’ on poor minority voters. Describing the law as the most stringent in the country, the unanimous decision by a three-judge panel marks the first time that a federal court has blocked a voter-ID law. It will reverberate politically through the November elections. Republicans and Democrats have been arguing over whether tough voter-ID laws in a number of states discriminate against African Americans and Hispanics…”