BREAKING: Federal Court Upholds Virginia Voter ID Law
The United States District Court for the Eastern District in Richmond issued an opinion that upheld Virginia’s Voter ID laws today. The case, brought by the Democratic Party of Virginia against the State Board of Elections, alleged that Virginia’s photo ID law unduly burdened the right to vote by requiring photo identification, and that the requirement was specifically designed to disenfranchise voters that they believed were more likely to vote Democratic. They also alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act, and the 14th, 15th and 26th amendments to the Constitution.
In his opinion, Judge Henry Hudson, former Republican Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and a George W. Bush appointee, said
“While the merits of this voter identification law, and indeed all aspects of Virginia’s voting regime, can be reasonably debated, it remains true that Virginia has created a scheme of laws to accommodate all people in their right to vote. From in-person voting, to an absentee option, to provisional ballots with the ability to cure, and the provision of free voter IDs, Virginia has provided all of its citizens with an equal opportunity to participate in the electoral process.”
This lawsuit was one of many filed by the Democrats against State Boards of Election in a variety of states, including Virginia. Portions of the suit, regarding felons and long-lines at polling places, were dismissed last November by Judge Hudson.
Speaker Bill Howell responded to the news with a press release saying,
“The General Assembly carefully crafted Virginia’s photo ID law to comply with previous Supreme Court rulings and I am pleased that our statute was upheld by a federal court today. This is a victory for the integrity of Virginia’s elections and the three-quarters of Virginians who support our commonsense law.
“The Democratic Party of Virginia launched this politically-motivated lawsuit as part of a national effort funded by liberal billionaire George Soros and orchestrated by Hillary Clinton’s attorney Marc Elias. Unfortunately, their lawsuit unnecessarily cost Virginia taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is also unfortunate that Virginia was once again unable to rely on its elected Attorney General to defend the law of the Commonwealth.”
The victory is a big shot in the arm for voter ID proponents, as Virginia’s law – if upheld on appeal – could be used as a model for tougher, yet constitutional, voter ID laws around the country. This was also one of the cases that Attorney General Mark Herring declined to defend, citing his past activism on the subject might lead people to believe he was unwilling to defend the law vigorously.
The opinion can be read here.
