Opinion

Texas should drop appeal on voter ID

Courts found that up to 600,000 Texans lacked the forms of identification the state required, with minorities disproportionately affected. They noted that the state’s efforts to education voters on voter ID was lackluster at best. less Courts found that up to 600,000 Texans lacked the forms of identification the state required, with minorities disproportionately affected. They noted that the state’s efforts to education voters on voter ID ... more Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Texas should drop appeal on voter ID 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Texas officials say they are going to appeal an appeals court ruling against the state’s voter ID law to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This is tantamount to asking the high court to sanction discrimination.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, arguably the most conservative appeals court in the country, this month agreed with a U.S. District Court in Corpus Christi that the law was discriminatory. It instructed the lower court judge to make fixes before the November election.

Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has approved an agreement between Texas and plaintiffs that allows voting without one of the seven forms of required identification. It also requires the state to spend $2.5 million to educate voters on the requirements for voting following the ruling.

The courts found that up to 600,000 Texans lacked the forms of identification the state required, with minorities disproportionately affected. They noted that the state’s efforts to educate voters on voter ID was lackluster at best.

And while the 5th Circuit returned for review to the lower court whether the state intended this discriminatory effect, it pretty much made clear that strong indications of this dotted the law’s legislative history.

The state continues to insist that its voter ID law, approved by the Legislature in 2011 but not used until 2013, is about protecting “the integrity” of voting in Texas. This refers to preventing in-person voter fraud, the only kind of fraud that photo ID requirements guard against.

But that kind of fraud is so rare as to be virtually nonexistent, the courts agreed.

So, given this history, why would the state appeal? Go back to who is disproportionately affected by the law for the answer. They just happen to mostly vote Democratic. That’s why such voter restrictions are in states where the GOP rules the legislative and executive roosts.

Under Gonzales Ramos’ order, people without a photo ID will be able to vote by signing an affidavit that they are a U.S. citizen and presenting proof of residence, such as a paycheck, bank statement or utility bill.

Yes, you need a photo ID to get a library card. And library cards aren’t a constitutional right. Moreover, the frequency of the type of fraud voter ID is intended to prevent indicates this was a cure in search of a disease.

Texas should be intent on getting as many eligible people as possible to vote. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court sends an entirely different message — the same one the voter ID law has projected all along.