Voting Rights Advocates Hail Court Decision in Georgia Photo ID Case

[DaveColorado]

http://www.aclu.org/VotingRights/VotingRights.cfm?ID=19...

Voting Rights Advocates Hail Court Decision in Georgia Photo ID Case

October 18, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: [e-mail]

Judge Blocks New Photo ID Requirements for November 8 Elections, Says Plaintiffs have a "Substantial Likelihood" of Succeeding in Court

ATLANTA - In a major victory for Georgia voters, a federal judge today blocked a controversial new law that dramatically restricts the types of photo identification that may be used when voting. The decision is in effect while a legal challenge to the law, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of voting rights advocates, continues.

"We are pleased by the court's decision today. We have always known that this law unconstitutionally burdens the right to vote for thousands of properly registered Georgia voters," said Meredith Bell-Platts, a staff attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project in Atlanta. "This decision is especially important for those Georgians who would have been turned away from the polls all across the state on November 8."


In granting the preliminary injunction, the court held - among other things - that the plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of succeeding on the merits of their claims that the photo ID requirement is an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote and constitutes a poll tax.

-more

[texpatriot2004]

1. So does this effect only the photo IDs? nm