“A federal judge in Corpus Christi today will consider whether the state’s Voter ID law should be considered by a court before the 2014 election, 1200 WOAI news reports. “U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos has set the trial date for next September,” but “State officials argue that a September 2014 vote would be too late for elections officials to deal with the outcome of the trial in an election that would happen just two months away.” Officials report that the first statewide implementation of Texas’ new photo ID requirement went smoothly, and turnout was up significantly compared to the 2011 election (8 percent vs. 5 percent of registered voters). Updates as they occur.
Yet “Democrats have repeatedly claimed that Voter I.D. laws ‘disenfranchise’ hundreds of thousands of Texas voters, mainly minority voters who would be more likely to vote Democrat. But they have been unable to produce individuals who have a logical claim of being unable to obtain one of the free Voter Identification Certificates being handed out by the Secretary of State’s office.”