Politics

Texas Asks Appeals Court to Uphold Voter Photo ID Law

Published

10 years ago

April 28, 2015

Oakland Post

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Supporters and opponents of a Texas law requiring specific forms of photo identification for voters faced close questioning in a federal appeals court Tuesday on whether the law was meant to discriminate against minorities and whether there are ways to remedy it.

The U.S. Justice Department and others oppose the law as an unconstitutional burden on minority voters. The state of Texas says the law was aimed at preventing fraud. The state is appealing a federal district judge’s ruling last October that struck down the law.

Judge Catharina Haynes, one of three judges hearing the Texas case at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, suggested in questioning that the matter should perhaps be sent back to the district court for further consideration. She noted that the Texas Legislature currently has several bills that that could broaden the number and types of ID voters could use to cast ballots.

Haynes also noted that a statewide election took place in Texas last year under the requirements of the new law, which was being enforced while the appeal was pending. “Shouldn’t we look at the last election?” she asked Erin Flynn of the Justice Department.

Flynn argued otherwise. “Turnout number doesn’t capture the deterrent and suppressive effect that a voter ID law has,” she said.

The law requires voters to provide one of seven kinds of photo identification to cast a ballot. Four are available from the state Department of Public Safety — driver’s licenses, personal IDs, concealed-handgun permits, and election identification certificates. Federally issued passports, citizenship certificates and military IDs also are acceptable.

Opponents said the old law required an ID — with or without a photo — such as a voter registration card, a utility bill, a bank statement or a paystub that identified the voter and the voter’s address. They said fraud was rare and actual incidents of voters showing up at a poll pretending to be someone else were virtually nonexistent. They also complained about the exclusion of some photo IDs, including federal or state employee IDs and college student IDs.

Haynes asked whether “a more nuanced” remedy than striking the whole law might be called for — for instance, allowing the use of a voter registration card, which does not contain a photo, but stopping short of going back to the old law’s allowing of utility bills or bank statements.

Both sides stuck to their arguments, with Scott Keller of the Texas Solicitor General’s Office arguing that the law does not discriminate. Lawyers for the Justice Department and other opponents of the law said the ruling of U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos was sound.

Tuesday’s arguments also focused on the intent of Texas legislators who passed the ID law. The law’s opponents, and Ramos’ opinion, noted Republican state Rep. Todd Smith’s statement during debate on the bill that it was “common sense” that those lacking the required IDs would most likely be minority voters.

Haynes questioned both sides about what is needed to prove discriminatory intent.

Keller said there is nothing in the record to suggest an attempt to prevent minority voting. Haynes said there was unlikely to be an on-the-record statement acknowledging such a purpose. “You seem to be looking for some confession — in an email: ‘Let’s discriminate,'” she told Keller.

However, she also said opponents of the law seemed to employ “the rankest speculation” in assigning motives to the bill’s proponents.

Another issue touched on in Tuesday’s arguments: Whether fees involved in obtaining proper IDs constitute an unconstitutional “poll tax.”

That includes a possible $2 fee that some might need to get a birth certificate, which is required to get one form of free ID. The law-backers stress that there is no direct cost for the free ID and add that Texas allows mail voting, which they say negates the poll-tax argument.

The 5th Circuit’s Chief Judge Carl Stewart and U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown of New Orleans also were on the panel. There was no indication when they would rule.

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NorCal Election Preview: Black Candidates on Your Gen Election Ballot 

As the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election approaches, a number of Black candidates from Northern California are running for positions in the United States Congress, the State Senate, and the State Assembly. If elected, they would collectively represent a larger proportion of elected officials at the state level than California’s Black population of about 6.5%.

Published

15 mins ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: Incumbent Mia Bonta (D) is running in Assembly District 18 (Oakland); Kevin Lincoln (R), Mayor of Stockton, is challenging incumbent Josh Harder (D) in Congressional District 9)(Stockton); and Lateefah Simon (D) is running in Congressional District 12 (Oakland).

By Joe W. Bowers Jr, California Black Media 

Of the state’s 52 U.S. House of Representatives seats, three are currently held by Black representatives. In the State Senate, which comprises 40 seats and elects half of its members every two years, there are currently two Black Senators. In the Assembly, which has 80 seats up for election every two years, 10 Black Assembly members currently serve.

In this election, five Black candidates are running for Congress, four for State Senate, and 13 for Assembly.

Below are the Black candidates (in bold letters) running for Congress and the State Legislature in the Bay Area and other parts of Northern California.

Congressional Races 

In Congressional District 9 (Stockton), Kevin Lincoln (R), Mayor of Stockton, is challenging incumbent Josh Harder (D). Lincoln, a former Marine, is running on a platform focused on economic development, public safety, and government accountability. Harder, meanwhile, has focused on issues like healthcare access and immigration reform.

In Congressional District 12 (Oakland), Lateefah Simon (D), a nonprofit foundation president and civil rights advocate, is running to succeed Rep. Barbara Lee. Simon’s platform emphasizes civil rights, affordable housing, and economic reform. Her opponent, Jennifer Tran (D), a professor and chamber president, is focused on economic development, public safety and leveraging technology for government transparency.

California State Senate Races 

In State Senate District 7 (Oakland and Berkeley), Jovanka Beckles (D), an Alameda-Contra Costa (AC) Transit Director, is running on a platform centered on environmental justice, affordable housing, and public transportation reform. Her opponent, Jesse Arreguín (D), the Mayor of Berkeley, is focused on housing and economic development.

California State Assembly Races

  In Assembly District 7 (Citrus Heights), Porsche Middleton (D), a city councilmember, is challenging incumbent Josh Hoover (R) on housing reform and local governance.

In Assembly District 11 (Suisun City), incumbent Lori Wilson (D) is focused on healthcare access, economic development, and education. She is facing Dave Ennis (R), a civil engineer who emphasizes infrastructure improvement and reduced government regulation.

In Assembly District 13 (Stockton), business owner Rhodesia Ransom (D) is campaigning on small business growth, educational reform, and economic justice. She faces Denise Aguilar Mendez (R), a non-profit director focused on conservative family values and reducing the size of government. Aguilar Mendez has faced controversy including a guilty plea for welfare fraud.

In Assembly District 18 (Oakland), incumbent Mia Bonta (D) is running on housing reform and education. Her opponent, Andre Sandford, American Independent Party (AIP), advocates for fiscal responsibility and housing cost management.

These Black candidates are running to address key issues such as housing, healthcare, public safety, reparations, and economic reform. The diversity of their platforms reflects California’s broad political spectrum, with some focusing on progressive reforms, while others advocate for a shift to more conservative policies.

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Black Leaders, Political Orgs, Sound Alarm About Project 2025

With the general elections just a few days away, Black organizations and leaders, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), are sounding the alarm about Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s controversial “policy bible.” The four-pillar initiative includes a detailed blueprint for the next conservative presidential administration – making way for a sweeping overhaul of the executive branch.

Published

58 mins ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

With the general elections just a few days away, Black organizations and leaders, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), are sounding the alarm about Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s controversial “policy bible.”

The four-pillar initiative includes a detailed blueprint for the next conservative presidential administration – making way for a sweeping overhaul of the executive branch.

Waters has been outspoken in her opposition of the 900-page policy.

Recently, she shared “The People’s Guide to Project 2025” with the Inglewood Area Ministers Association, an organization of predominantly Black pastors, to inform them about the proposal’s impact, emphasizing that its influence would reach beyond the traditional spheres of presidential power. The 15-term politician from Los Angeles shared her sentiments with the House Financial Services Committee in July.

“Project 2025 promotes radical ideals to materially undermine the Federal Reserve, if not effectively abolish it,” Waters said.

Written by the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 was developed with the input of a broad coalition of conservative organizations and is organized around four pillars: Policy, Personnel, Training, and the 180-Day Playbook. The proposals in the document aim to revamp every aspect of the U.S. government.

Waters is not the only person sounding the alarm about Project 2025’s agenda. Grassroot organizations in California and across the nation are preparing to combat the initiative despite who wins the election between Trump and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

The National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants (NAASD), members of advocacy groups in California, and other Black political organizations across the nation are drawing up policy documents to counter the conservative Project 2025 initiative.

On Aug. 2, NAASD hosted a nationwide ZOOM conference call to discuss policies that concern Black communities.  Nocola Hemphill, the president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Black Women’s Chamber, and grassroots organizations on the call are promoting what they call, #Reparations2025.

“I just want us to think about bringing all policies (ideas) together when we think about Project 2025,” said Hemphill, who lives in South Carolina. “I am excited about the possibility of us forming our own version of Project 2025 and having it published by the November election.”

NAASD is a nonprofit association of community activists from across the country that formed around May 2019.

Los Angeles resident Khansa “Friday” Jones Muhammad is the president of NAASD.

“The National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants (NAASD) envisions a nation where African American descendants of US slavery can fully exercise their constitutional citizenship rights and have economic agency for generations,” Muhammad told California Black Media (CBM).

While forming an agenda for #Reparation2025, NAASD has created a survey to determine how systemic racism and discrimination in the United States have affected Black American lives and single out options to repair harms through public policy. Participants in the survey would help the organization shape a national blueprint.

“During this election cycle, it is imperative that national Black organizations come together for collective success,” Muhammad shared with CBM. “While the vote for President of the United States is important, we need to also focus on other active projects such as ‘Project 2025,’ Supreme Court rulings around race and more.”

Muhammad added, “NAASD’s Black experience survey allows for individuals, Black organizations, and their allies to forge a pathway to reparations by utilizing community-building and policy.”

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Activism

NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention Highlights Black Voter Engagement, and More

A Friday panel featuring NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell and Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, examined Project 2025, an initiative perceived as a potential threat to civil rights, healthcare access, and environmental protection. This session emphasized Project 2025’s projected impact on Black communities, noting that policies within the initiative could diminish gains in civil and environmental rights over decades. Russell and Wilson highlighted the need for vigilant monitoring and community mobilization to address these challenges.

Published

8 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

NAACP State Conference President Rick Callender (right) engages in a discussion on voter engagement and community advocacy with NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson during the 37th NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention in Los Angeles. Photo by Rich Woods.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The 37th NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention concluded on Sunday, Oct 27, following four days of discussions and workshops at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Bringing together civil rights leaders, policymakers, and advocates from California and Hawaii, the convention operated under the theme “All In.” The participants discussed critical issues impacting Black communities, including criminal justice reform, health equity, economic empowerment, education, environmental justice, and voting rights.

On Saturday, the President’s Fireside Chat brought together NAACP President Derrick Johnson and CA/HI State Conference President Rick Callender, who discussed the urgency of voter engagement and community advocacy.

Guest speakers included Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), who spoke at the Women in NAACP (WIN) Labor Luncheon about the intersection of labor rights and civil rights. California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond delivered remarks at the Leadership Dinner on education equity, focusing on policies to ensure all students have access to high-quality education.

Honors were given to longtime social justice advocate and former Assemblymember Mike Davis for his work in community activism. At the same time, actor and activist Danny Glover and the Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown received the 2024 Legacy Hall of Fame Awards, recognizing their lifelong commitments to advancing civil rights.

The convention also offered practical workshops, including “What’s On Your Ballot?,” where coalition leaders provided analyses of California propositions, explaining their potential impacts on community rights and resources. The Voter Turnout Workshop provided background and encouraged participants to promote voter turnout through community-centered outreach strategies.

Sunday’s events closed with a Prayer and Memorial Breakfast honoring the contributions of past and current civil rights leaders.