that's correct.Voting Rights Act.
Section 5 of the Act requires that the United States Department of Justice, through an administrative procedure, or a three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, through a declaratory judgment action "preclear" any attempt to change any voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting..." in any "covered jurisdiction."[
Voting Rights Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It would seem to me that even if a state passes such "qualification" laws they still must preclear them under the VRA before they are allowed to be put into practice. As to the "costs" of I.D.'s it would seem to me that many if not all states allow no cost ID's for those that cannot afford them and for Seniors and the disabled. I know that Arizona has such a provision at the MVD. Further, if someone in the year 2011 doesn't have a valid BC or is unable to obtain one, in many states there are alternate forms of ID that are allowed as well.
Any two of those
Utility bill dated within 90 days of the date of the election. A utility bill may be for electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cellular phone, or cable television
Bank or credit union statement that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election
Valid Arizona Vehicle Registration
Indian census card
Property tax statement of the person's residence
Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
Vehicle insurance card
Valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification
Voter Registration Card / Recorder's Certification
Any "Official Election Material" mailing bearing your name and address
Voter ID in Arizona - Identification Requirements for Voting in Arizona Elections
Again, if these ID law's are as many say they are, and indeed interfere with a person's right to vote then it WON'T get precleared under the VRA and will be struck down pretty quickly.
and in georgia, their plan was shot down due to it, once it reached a higher courts
5
In a case that some have called a showdown over voting rights, a U.S. appeals court yesterday upheld an injunction barring the state of Georgia from enforcing a law requiring citizens to get government-issued photo identification in order to vote.
The ruling allows thousands of Georgians who do not have government-issued identification, such as driver's licenses and passports, to vote in the Nov. 8 municipal elections without obtaining a special digital identification card, which costs $20 for five years. In prior elections, Georgians could use any one of 17 types of identification that show the person's name and address, including a driver's license, utility bill, bank statement or a paycheck, to gain access to a voting booth.
Last week, when issuing the injunction, U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy likened the law to a Jim Crow-era poll tax that required residents, most of them black, to pay back taxes before voting. He said the law appeared to violate the Constitution for that reason. In the 2004 election, about 150,000 Georgians voted without producing government-issued identification.
The Georgia ID law has been controversial from the day it was submitted in March. Conservative lawmakers said it was needed to limit elections fraud. Liberal lawmakers said that argument was a smokescreen masking another intent: to maintain Republican power in the state by diluting the minority vote, which typically goes to Democrats.
Liberal critics compiled statistics showing that far more white residents owned cars than African Americans. The law, they argued, gave an unfair advantage to white people while placing a burden on those who are black.
On top of that, the state recently reorganized the Department of Motor Vehicles, paring down the number of offices. After the reorganization, there were no DMV offices in Atlanta, a city with a wide black majority. The closest station is at least nine miles away. Fewer than 60 of the state's 159 counties have DMV offices.
looks to me like the INTENT of the GOP was to disenfranchise blacks....if this article is accurate?
more info: Voter ID Law Is Overturned