Federals want to stop Texas Voter ID Law

The Obama administration and the Justice Department want to stop the Texan law that requires its citizens to show their identification while voting. The Justice Department plans to look for a court order that declares that the Texan law violates some constitutional rights along with the Voting Rights Act. Attorney General Eric Holder supports the effort taken to protect the voting rights of the people. Due to a Supreme Court case, it requires an approval from Washington before voting regulations can be changed in the states, specifically the southern states. In order to claim that the Voting Rights Act has been violated, the Justice Department must find proof of “purposeful” discrimination taking place. Texas Governor Rick Perry doesn’t want the federal government involved in the way the state is ruled and thinks that Eric Holder and Obama “obstruct the will of the people of Texas”. The NAACP, on the other hand, rejoices in the decision taken to challenge the Texan practice, for the organization claims that there is a history of African Americans and Latinos being suppressed while voting. The president of the group, Sherrilyn Ifill, believes that the voter ID law is not worth the problem it’s going to cause, for there is rarely a person who dares to vote illegally. 

In the light of the U.S. Constitution, two amendments could be used to help describe the issue. Governor Rick Perry believes that the Obama Administration is violating the 10th Amendment, which defines the balance of power between the federal and state government. The federal government wants to change a Texas specific law that requires an ID to vote, but Perry claims that that is the will of the people. Is it really the will of the people? Or is it the will of the governor and other state officials? I believe that the people are only concerned with getting the voting rights they deserve and don’t want to discriminate against the minorities. The discrimination of races goes against the 15^th Amendment of the Constitution, which protects the right of voting for all black citizens. I think the 15^th Amendment could easily apply for Latinos. Although they are not African American, the amendment was made with the purpose of protecting the right to vote for citizens despite of race and color. I feel that America should continue granting those rights to everyone so everyone can have a chance to choose how they want to be represented and how they want the future to be.