WASHINGTON -- A U.S. court has ruled
against a state of Texas law that would require voters to present photo
IDs to election officials before being allowed to cast ballots in
November.
A three-judge panel in Washington
ruled Thursday that the law imposes "strict, unforgiving burdens on the
poor" and noted that racial minorities in Texas are more likely to live
in poverty.
The decision involves an
increasingly contentious political issue: a push, largely by
Republican-controlled legislatures and governor's offices, to impose
strict identification requirements on voters.
The ruling comes in the same week that South Carolina's
strict photo ID law is on trial in front of another three-judge panel
in the same federal courthouse. A court ruling in the South Carolina
case is expected in time for the November election.
Associated Press