Press Release

ADL Welcomes Federal Appeals Court Ruling Against Texas Voter ID Law

Houston, TX, August 30, 2012 …The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed a ruling by a panel of three federal judges blocking the Texas voter ID law, which would require photos for voters at the polls. The panel of judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found the law would place "strict unforgiving burdens" on the poor and, by extension, Latinos and racial minorities. The court noted that the requirements of the Texas Voter ID law would fall heavily on African-Americans and Hispanics, who make up a disproportionate percentage of the poor in Texas.

"We strongly agree with the appellate judges that this law places an unfair and unequal burden on some Texans, especially the poor and racial minorities," said Martin B. Cominsky, ADL Southwest Regional Director. "People who are eligible to vote should not have to face unnecessary barriers that would negatively and disproportionately affect their access to the ballot."

In January, ADL wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice, asking them to reject the requirement that voters show identification at the polls.

The ADL letter suggested Texas' voter ID law would "negatively and disproportionately affect ballot access for minority, young, rural, collegiate, elderly, low-income, and disabled voters," and enforcement of the law would result in such voters being subjected to discrimination, intimidation, and harassment.