A panel of federal judges in Washington has upheld South Carolina’s controversial voter I.D. law. But it won’t be in place for next month’s elections. The judges ruled the law requiring South Carolinians to show I.D. when they go to vote does not disenfranchise anyone. But they said the November elections are too close and that there’s not enough time for South Carolina election officials to implement the law. So it will take effect next year.
The Justice Department had blocked the law, saying it would primarily disenfranchise minorities and the poor and violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But the judges ruled that a provision in the law makes it unlikely that any voter without a photo I.D. would be turned away. Under the Voting Rights Act, South Carolina is required to get federal clearance on any change in its election law. South Carolina’s attorney general called the ruling a major victory for the state.
