lawyerlee
09-06-2005, 01:55 PM
Lawsuit to Be Filed Over New Voting Law in Georgia (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/06/national/06georgia.html?pagewanted=print)
New York Times
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA, Sept. 5 (AP) - Opponents of a new Georgia law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls are planning a federal lawsuit challenging the measure, which they fear will lower voter turnout.
The bill eliminates the use of formerly accepted forms of voter identification like Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills.
A news conference to discuss the lawsuit was set for Tuesday, said State Representative Tyrone L. Brooks Sr., Democrat of Atlanta.
The suit is likely to echo the complaints that several groups filed in objection letters sent to the Department of Justice before it approved the new law last month.
Under the Voting Rights Act, Georgia and other states with a history of suppressing minority voting must get federal permission to change their voting laws.
Mr. Brooks said he believed the issue could ultimately be decided by the United States Supreme Court. "No matter who wins at the lower court level, there will be appeals," he said.
The Republican-backed measure caused racial tension during the state's legislative session last spring. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out at the Capitol when it was approved.
Democrats had argued that the idea was a political move by the Republican Party to depress voting among minorities, the elderly and the poor, all traditional bases for Democrats.
Plaintiffs in the suit include the Coalition for the People's Agenda, whose chairman is the Rev. Joseph Lowery; the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the plaintiffs in the case.
The groups plan to include Georgia voters as co-plaintiffs, especially those who would be "grossly affected by the proposal," Mr. Brooks said.
Several other states request photo identification, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most allow voters without photo ID to use other forms of identification or sign an affidavit of identity.
New York Times
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA, Sept. 5 (AP) - Opponents of a new Georgia law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls are planning a federal lawsuit challenging the measure, which they fear will lower voter turnout.
The bill eliminates the use of formerly accepted forms of voter identification like Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills.
A news conference to discuss the lawsuit was set for Tuesday, said State Representative Tyrone L. Brooks Sr., Democrat of Atlanta.
The suit is likely to echo the complaints that several groups filed in objection letters sent to the Department of Justice before it approved the new law last month.
Under the Voting Rights Act, Georgia and other states with a history of suppressing minority voting must get federal permission to change their voting laws.
Mr. Brooks said he believed the issue could ultimately be decided by the United States Supreme Court. "No matter who wins at the lower court level, there will be appeals," he said.
The Republican-backed measure caused racial tension during the state's legislative session last spring. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out at the Capitol when it was approved.
Democrats had argued that the idea was a political move by the Republican Party to depress voting among minorities, the elderly and the poor, all traditional bases for Democrats.
Plaintiffs in the suit include the Coalition for the People's Agenda, whose chairman is the Rev. Joseph Lowery; the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the plaintiffs in the case.
The groups plan to include Georgia voters as co-plaintiffs, especially those who would be "grossly affected by the proposal," Mr. Brooks said.
Several other states request photo identification, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most allow voters without photo ID to use other forms of identification or sign an affidavit of identity.