Abbott asks court to clear voter ID law

Associated Press

Updated: Jan 23, 2012 1:16 PM

AUSTIN (AP) — TTexas Attorney General Greg Abbott asked a federal court on Monday to clear the way for the state's Voter ID law after the Department of Justice did not clear it.   Abbot said in the court case that the Obama administration was hostile to laws like the one passed last year in Texas, which requires voters to show a photo identification card in order to vote. Texas is one of 16 states where all changes to voting laws must first be cleared by the justice department or the Washington, D.C., district court before they can go into effect.   Justice department lawyers asked the state for additional information about how the law would be enforced and who it would affect, delaying making a decision on whether to clear it. The department has still not made an official determination and has another six weeks before it must, under the Voting Rights Act.   Abbott is asking the court to go ahead and clear the law because similar laws exist in other states and he says the Obama administration is taking too long to decide whether to clear it.   "Texas should be allowed the same authority other states have to protect the integrity of elections," Abbott said. "To fast-track that authority, Texas is taking legal action in a D.C. court seeking approval of its voter identification law."   Minority groups have complained that the law is intended to discourage voting among the poor and elderly who are less likely to have a driver's license. Data produced by the Texas Secretary of State's office appears to support that contention, but state officials insist the data is too flawed to consider when deciding whether the law should be enforced.

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