Texas Voter ID Laws The United States Constitution is one of the oldest working forms of government in the world. A huge reason that it is still used in America today is that it can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Article I Section 8 of the Constitution lists the powers given to the national government. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution states that the powers not given to the national government are given to the states. This creates ambiguity on what powers the states actually hold, often times leading to conflict between the national and state government. A major issue that the national and state government debate over is what requirements a person needs to meet to vote. While the Constitution and federal laws have requirements
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Many Texans are arguing that the voter ID laws are unconstitutional because they believe the new laws make it harder for minorities and other groups to vote. In a ProPublica article, “Attorney General Eric Holder and others have compared the laws to a poll tax, in which Southern states during the Jim Crow era imposed voting fees, which discouraged blacks, and even some poor whites -- until the passage of grandfather clauses -- from voting” (Howell, 2015, p.19). This makes it harder for people in poverty (many who are minorities) to vote because some cannot afford the fees. People in rural areas also argue against the law because they have difficulty obtaining the correct forms of ID. On the other hand, some Texans believe the voter ID law is a necessity because it prevents voter fraud. For example, in some elections deceased people and criminals have somehow cast ballots. Another example is people voting multiple times in different states. The voter ID laws also makes it more difficult for people that are not American citizens to vote. Currently, the Texas Voter ID laws have not been appealed or ruled unconstitutional; however, as opposition builds against these laws, there could be a change coming …show more content…
A form of ID will immediately be able to help identify whether they are a United States citizen and at least 18 years of age. While it is true that the number of eligible voters drops because of people without the right documents, it does not necessarily mean that voter turn out will go down. From the Washington Times, “Not only is there no evidence whatsoever that voter ID in any way decreased turnout, Texas seemed to do better in the 2014 election than many states without voter ID laws in place,” said Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Heritage who is drafting a paper on the Lone Star State’s experience with its law” (Lee, 2012, p.5). I believe this to be true because individuals without the correct forms of ID were most likely not going to vote anyway. If these individuals truly do want to vote, they should be willing to go out and acquire any documents necessary to be eligible to vote in
Many Texans are arguing that the voter ID laws are unconstitutional because they believe the new laws make it harder for minorities and other groups to vote. In a ProPublica article, “Attorney General Eric Holder and others have compared the laws to a poll tax, in which Southern states during the Jim Crow era imposed voting fees, which discouraged blacks, and even some poor whites -- until the passage of grandfather clauses -- from voting” (Howell, 2015, p.19). This makes it harder for people in poverty (many who are minorities) to vote because some cannot afford the fees. People in rural areas also argue against the law because they have difficulty obtaining the correct forms of ID. On the other hand, some Texans believe the voter ID law is a necessity because it prevents voter fraud. For example, in some elections deceased people and criminals have somehow cast ballots. Another example is people voting multiple times in different states. The voter ID laws also makes it more difficult for people that are not American citizens to vote. Currently, the Texas Voter ID laws have not been appealed or ruled unconstitutional; however, as opposition builds against these laws, there could be a change coming …show more content…
A form of ID will immediately be able to help identify whether they are a United States citizen and at least 18 years of age. While it is true that the number of eligible voters drops because of people without the right documents, it does not necessarily mean that voter turn out will go down. From the Washington Times, “Not only is there no evidence whatsoever that voter ID in any way decreased turnout, Texas seemed to do better in the 2014 election than many states without voter ID laws in place,” said Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Heritage who is drafting a paper on the Lone Star State’s experience with its law” (Lee, 2012, p.5). I believe this to be true because individuals without the correct forms of ID were most likely not going to vote anyway. If these individuals truly do want to vote, they should be willing to go out and acquire any documents necessary to be eligible to vote in