D.C. COURT HEARS LANDMARK TEXAS VOTING RIGHTS CASE

League Joins Case in Support of Voting Rights / Department of Justice

Washington D.C. - This week a three-judge panel in Washington, D.C. is hearing arguments in a case brought by the State of Texas seeking to overturn a U.S. Department of Justice (US DOJ) decision to deny pre-clearance of Texas’s  photo voter ID law.  The League of Women Voters of Texas (LWVTX) has joined the lawsuit in support of the US DOJ position.

“The importance of this case cannot be overstated: It will be a landmark case for voting rights in America,” said Elisabeth MacNamara, president of the League of Women Voters of the U.S. (LWVUS). The League in Texas and other states around the country are fighting against these voter suppression laws and will continue to do so until every eligible citizen is guaranteed their right to vote and have their vote counted.”

Earlier this week, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder joined the League in calling these photo ID laws a “poll tax.” “Voters who have voted for years will now be required to jump through hoops and be asked to pay for underlying documentation in order to get the required photo ID to vote. This is a poll tax plain and simple,” said Linda Krefting, president of the Texas League.

“Should this law be allowed to stand it will have a detrimental impact on the rights of voters across the state,” said Krefting The state of Texas has not been able to find one instance of voter impersonation at the polls in Texas compared with court testimony that finds 1.4 million Texans without the necessary photo ID to vote. The ‘cure’ Texas has forced on voters is worse than the ‘illness’,” said Krefting.

Concluded MacNamara:  “Today we are experiencing an unprecedented attack on voting rights. This assault on voters is sweeping across the country, state by state, and is one of the greatest self-inflicted threats to our democracy in our lifetimes. These new laws threaten to silence the voices of those least heard and rarely listened to in this country – the poor, the elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, the young and people with disabilities. We stand with the League of Women Voters of Texas and all of the other states where the right to vote is threatened. We will continue the work we have done for more than 90 years – protecting the right to vote and expanding the franchise.”

CONTACT:  Kelly Ceballos, [email protected] or Anita Privett, [email protected]

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