Georgia activists blast voter identification law

Errin Haines

ATLANTA — Opponents of a new Georgia law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls are planning a federal court lawsuit challenging the measure, which they fear will lower voter turnout.

The bill requires voters to show photo identification at the polls. It eliminates the use at the polls of formerly accepted forms of voter identification, such Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills.

A news conference to discuss the lawsuit was set for Tuesday, said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks.

The suit likely will 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.

Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, Brooks said he believes the issue could ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“No matter who wins at the lower court level, there will be appeals,” he said.

The Republican-backed measure sparked racial tension during the state’s legislative session last spring. Most of Georgia’s black lawmakers walked out at the state Capitol when it was approved.

Democrats had argued the idea was a political move by the GOP 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 that is chaired by the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The ACLU is representing the plaintiffs in this case.

The groups plan to include Georgia voters as co-plaintiffs, especially those who would be “grossly affected by the proposal,” Brooks said.

Several other states request photo ID, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most allow voters without a photo ID to use other forms of identification or sign an affidavit of identity.

(Associated Press)