Now You See Me, Now You Don't

 

     Recently, the three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted to uphold the infamous Texas voter ID law on Friday in a 2-1 ruling. Introduced in 2011, Senate Bill 14 was created with the purpose of requiring a photo ID for those who wished to vote in Texas. An amendment was later added (Senate Bill 5), which allowed those without an ID to sign an impediment declarative statement that then allowed them to vote.

     The Texas Voter ID law remains unpopular with the growing liberal Texas government despite the ruling. Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of the Southern District of Texas who repealed Senate Bill 5 in 2016 wrote in opposition to the bill saying "SB 5 perpetuates the selection of types of ID most likely to be possessed by Anglo voters and, disproportionately, not possessed by Hispanics and African Americans". Texas Attorney Ken Paxton seemed confident with the repeal stating "Safeguarding the integrity of our elections is essential to preserving our democracy. The revised voter ID law removes any burden on voters who cannot obtain a photo ID".

     What makes this law a curious case is the fact that Texas holds the record for the most restrictive voting laws. In other states, proof of Indian Tribe, student ID, or government photo ID's are considered reasonable alternatives. Upholding the integrity of our elections is a worthy sentiment that should not be ignored, however, if other states are able to maintain fair, just elections without such laws in place why must Texas be the exception? Senate Bill 5 failed to directly address the concerns of voter intimidation or the fact that minorities often fail to possess their own photo ID necessary to participate. Signing a statement that could result in a third-degree felony for false information does little to encourage voters. If this was not a problem, a lower court would have never concerned itself with a repeal in the first place. It's time for Texas to look at policy outside of its own Texas-sized lens.