Texas Voter ID Law Controversy
Discusses civil liberties and civil rights. This assignment addresses the issue of voter ID laws in Texas. Many believe that voter ID laws have the potential to violate civil rights. Avoter ID law is a law that requires some form of identification in order to vote or receive a ballot for an election. In the United States, voter ID laws are in place in 34 states. Voter ID Laws go back to 1950 when South Carolina became the first state to start requesting identification from voters at the polls. It didn't have to have a picture, just some document with the name of the voter on it. In 1970, Hawaii joined in requiring ID, and Texas a year later.
Texas Governor Rick Perry placed a voter ID bill as an "emergency item" in 2011, allowing legislators to rush it through the process.Jurisdiction over Texas election procedure had been given to the Department of Justice, which was required to pre-clear the law for approval. The Texas law recognized government issued photo identification and weapons permits but not college IDs, raising the criticism that the law was unfavorable to young voters, who trend liberal, while favorable to gun owners, who trend conservative. A federal judge in Texas struck down the state's voter ID law, calling it a "poll tax" for minority voters, and saying that it creates "an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote." Texas appealed to the United States Supreme Court. In an orderreleased just after 5 a.m. Saturday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state allowing Texas to use a photo-ID law.
Use the material presented in the "Resource" folder below to write a 3 page critical analysis of the controversy surrounding the Texas Voter ID law. The paper must be composed in format identified below.
Your paper should address the following:
Describe the controversy surrounding the Texas Voter ID law.
What evidence can you find for or against Voter ID laws? Be specific. Identify the many different viewpoints presented in the "resources" and analyze each viewpoint.
What are the reasons for Voter ID laws?
Are there alternatives to Voter ID laws?
Do state laws requiring photo ID for voters unfairly affect voter participation?
How could you defend the Texas Voter ID law?
Do you think the Texas Voter ID law is a good or a bad thing? Why? Be specific. Report your viewpoint using examples to support your statements.
Note:. Be specific and elaborate on the answers to the above questions. Put your information into your own words! Think!
Writing Tip: Always assume that your audience knows nothing about the issue. A common mistake students make is leaving out critical information that they have learned, because they know that the instructor already knows the information. However, an instructor cannot give credit for knowledge that is absent from the essay. Your writing should be the evidence that you have the information, and have assimilated it into knowledge. (This was a mistake that I made in writing essays for college classes until an English teacher gave me this advice: "Always write as though the instructor were an ignorant fool that you were attempting to educate about the issue". Use the rubrics for guidance.
REQUIREMENTS FOR PAPER:
The paper must be:
1. Written in MLA format.
2. Written with Times New Roman 12 point font
3. Double Spaced
4. Minimum of three pages
5. You must submit the finished paper through Safe.
6. Spell and grammar check your paper.
7. Submit your assignment by selecting the writing assignment link in lesson 2, browsing to, and attaching your saved file from your desktop. Make sure to select SUBMIT. You may view your posting both on this page and under My Grades.