US appeals court revisits Texas voter ID law

Opponents, including the U.S. Justice Department and civil rights groups, say in-person voter fraud is extremely rare and that Texas' law discriminates by requiring forms of ID that are more difficult to obtain for low-income, African-American and Latino voters.

[...] questions were back on the table at Tuesday's hearing, with Janai Nelson, of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, saying the law was passed during a legislative session rife with race-tinged debate on illegal immigration and that it resulted in a bill that requires IDs that black and Latino voters are less likely to have.

Opponents countered that trial testimony indicated various bureaucratic and economic burdens associated with the law — for example, the difficulty in finding and purchasing a proper birth certificate to obtain an ID.

A brief filed by the American Civil Liberties Union cites testimony in other voter ID states indicating numerous difficulties faced by people, including burdensome travel and expenses to get required documentation to obtain IDs.