 |
| Flickr CC by OECD |
U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder has been on a discrimination lobby as of late, first with angry
words about the Zimmerman verdict and now again with an attack on the new
voting law in Texas. On Thursday July
25, holder called for congress to renew voter protections in the wake of this
year’s Supreme Court decision to overturn the restrictions to states with
histories of discrimination when it comes to voting laws. Although
it is not the first time Holder has stirred controversy among conservatives
over issues of race, the call for justice against stand your ground laws after
the Trevon Martin shooting and the attack on voting laws may have Texans
particularly upset.
Holder announced the
Justice Department intends to ask a Texas court to implement a provision
similar to the law that the court just struck down, where Texas would need to
seek approval from the Federal government before making any changes to voting
procedures. The most recent law requires
a photo ID for anyone to vote, and obtaining one requires proof of citizenship
and residency. The law is controversial
because critics say it restricts access for voters who do not have photo
identification, many of whom are minorities.
Eleven states have passed similar laws, but Holder says that Texas in
particular has a history of discrimination and has already filed suit against
the law.
 |
| Flickr CC by luna715 |
Texas is issuing
free photo identification to anyone who does not have one. Over 90% of voters have a driver’s license,
which qualifies, so in one perspective the law seems benign. While critics write Eric Holder off as frivolous
and politically motivated, however, the controversy that surrounds him shows
one fairly obvious trend: race is still an issue in America. EricHolder discusses race issues with a frankness that makes people uncomfortable
and people venomous. Voter ID laws
suggest discriminatory motivation and rather than own up to it, people become
angry. Eric Holder is able to use
popular media cases to bring forth a debate
that most people prefer to pretend doesn’t exist.
إرسال تعليق