Updated at 4 p.m., Aug. 10, 2016
After a U.S. circuit court ruled the Texas Voter ID law in violation of the Voting Rights Act on July 23, state officials have reached a temporary deal to make voting easier this November.
Voters who previously had to have one of six specific forms of identification no longer need photo identification to cast a ballot.
The new deal allows registered voters without a photo ID to use any of the following documents to verify their identity:
- Voter registration certificate
- Certified birth certificate
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- Any other government document that displays the voter’s name and address
In addition to presenting one of these documents, a voter lacking one of the photo IDs previously required by state must sign a form stating he or she has a reasonable impediment to obtaining a photo ID. These forms are to be offered in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.
Election officials are not permitted to question the authenticity of these impediments and can only reject them when there is conclusive evidence that the voter is not who they say they are.
The deal, made by U.S. Department of Justice and Texas officials, also calls for a $2.5 million statewide voter education plan to be formulated by Aug. 15 and implemented before the November elections.
Even though Attorney General Ken Paxton signed off on this deal, he indicated he is not ready to give up on the case entirely.
“The U.S. Supreme Court said that voter ID is a legitimate means of preventing voter fraud, and Texans widely support it to defend the integrity of our elections,” he wrote in an Aug. 2 statement. “In light of the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision, we are working hard on saving all the important aspects of our voter ID.”
The state has reportedly spent $3.5 million defending the law in five different lawsuits.
Before the circuit court ruling, the only acceptable forms of election identification were limited to:
- State driver’s license or ID card
- Concealed handgun license
- Passport
- Military ID card
- Citizenship certificate accompanied with a photo
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos approved these terms August 10. She still must decide on whether or not Texas legislators intentionally discriminated against minorities with their initial voter ID law, although that decision is not required before the November election.
A spokesman for Attorney General Ken Paxton said this case is far from over.
"Given the time constraints of the November elections and the direction of the Fifth Circuit, today's order by the district court is an interim remedy that preserves the crucial aspects of the Voter ID law for this November election, while we continue evaluating options moving forward, including an appeal of the Fifth Circuit's decision to the U.S. Supreme Court," Paxton spokesman Marc Rylander said in a statement.
The full deal can be viewed here.
