walkingman
(7,507 posts)Gothmog
(143,999 posts)The 5th Circuit Opinion on the latest appeal on the Texas voter suppression/voter id law is horrible. Edith Jones is a senile racist and I knew that when she was on the panel that this appeal had trouble. The good news is that the Texas voter id/voter suppression law had been largely gutted and that this appeal was on the issue of whether the law should be eliminated as being void. Under the current version of the law, anyone can vote with a voter registration card, utility bill or other form of id if they do not have one of the approved ids and sign an affidavit (Texas voters sign an affidavit every time they vote anyway).
This ruling was solely on the issue of the trial court striking down all of the voter id law. The reforms put in due to the prior court ruling remain in place. I agree with the editorial that this ruling is dumb. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Voter-ID-isn-t-racist-it-there-to-protect-12890005.php?utm_campaign=twitter-premium&utm_source=CMS%20Sharing%20Button&utm_medium=social
But the measure, like the redistricting endeavors recently placed before the U.S. Supreme Court, really exists only in service of protecting the partys rule in Texas government. Born of Tom DeLays (remember him?) dreams of a permanent Republican majority, voter ID and its ilk are less about public policy and more about making sure we never face the prospect of balanced government.
Historically, the fewer people who vote, the more conservative (not that Texas Republicans hold to the ideals of traditional conservatism) candidates prosper. When a rabble-rouser or populist drives masses to the polls, they tend to vote Democratic.
So any effort to quell the vote helps the current holders of the conservative flame. Carving the state into reliable districts for the party helps Republicans (who control that process), as well.
That other party has its own methods for ensuring victory, such as same-day registration, the electoral equivalent of fast food (quick, easy, thoughtless and leading to regret). Theyre also behind many of the get-out-and-vote drives peppering each election year. You hardly ever see a Republican on MTVs Rock The Vote PSAs.
Again, the good news is that the prior rulings have largely gutted this law.