Aljazeera America - A U.S. appeals court struck down a Texas law on Wednesday requiring voters to show authorized identification before casting ballots, saying the measure violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act through its "discriminatory effects."
The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit pertained to one of a series of laws enacted in Republican-governed states requiring potential voters to show identification that Democrats saw as intended to disenfranchise minorities who typically support their party.
"We affirm the district court's finding that SB 14 (Texas Senate Bill 14) violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act through its discriminatory effect," a three-judge panel from the New Orleans-based court said.
The measure was signed into law in 2011 by then Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, and has been the subject of legal battles since.
Plaintiffs argued the law would hit elderly and poorer voters, including minorities, hardest because they are less likely to have such identification
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