Court affirm Texas Voter ID Law

The U.S 5thCi cuit Court of Appeals upheld the Texas voter identification law (SB 5), which equires a person to provide official identification t ote, and reversed a lower court ruling that found it discriminating. “The uling by the 5th Circuit confirms this commo sense law and safeguards the integrity of our elections. It will also enhance public trust in our democratic process going forward,” Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said. “Senate Bill 5, the Texas Voter ID law, was one of my highest priorities in the last legislative session and one of the firs bills the Senate passed last year.” Proper ID under SB 5 can be provided by- a state issued driver’s license or ID card, a U.S. passport, a military ID, a concealed handgun license, a U.S. citizenship certificate, or an election identification ce tificate As an alternative to the seven IDs on the list, a person can use resident documents such as a utility bill, bank statement, or similar, provided they also sign an affidav swearing “reasonable impediment” in obtaining a state issued ID. Judge Edith Jones, who wrote the majority opinion, said the lower court had “abused its discretion” in ruling against SB 5.