Essay on Texas Civil Rights and Voter Identification Law
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The Texas voter identification law was signed into law in the year 2011 by Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas. The law stated that voters should present at least one out of seven national approved forms of identification before they cast their votes at the polling stations. The seven acceptable forms of identity were; a concealed handgun license, a United States passport, the state's driver's license or identification card, a military identification card, a certificate of United States citizenship or an electronic identification certificate.
The Texas voter identification law was met with both criticism and support from the public. This law is considered one of the most restrictive voter identification rules enacted in the nation. The legislature of Texas argued that they passed the law since they saw it as the most effective way of preventing the rampant voter fraud that was taking place in the state. The claims of a rise in fraudulent voter practices are not visible thus making the law seem like a political ploy to limit the minority voter turnout. The federal judges after engaging in a deeper analysis of the Texas voter identification law noted that the law violated the nation's law prohibiting racial discrimination in elections. The judges thus advocate for the scrapping off of the law.
The conflict in regards to the Texas voter identification law is a reflection of civil liberty since it highlights how freedom from arbitrary government interference has led to the abolishment of a restrictive rule enacted by a state. This shows that the people are the ones who have the power to determine how the government will rule them.
Civil rights relate to the protection of individuals freedom and the exercising of equality to all without discriminating based on factors such as gender and race. Civil rights take into consideration individual's social, political, and economic rights and freedom. For, instance, the freedom of movement, the right to education, the right to vote, and the right to own property and engage in a legal trade.
The civil rights cases raised in Texas mostly related to the conflict between the whites and minorities who are the African Americans and Mexican Americans. The Anglo-Americans have been the rulers of Texas for a long time since the majority of them have been the holders of the state's judicial and legislative positions. The unfriendly relation between the whites and minorities in Taxes that is mainly caused by racism influence has been the leading cause of the infringement of the civil rights of the minorities in the state.
The prejudice that most of the minorities faced in the 19th and 20th Century in relation to their rights have reduced with time. The reduction has been caused by the various amendments implemented in the state's law concerning the minorities' rights on issues such as voting and education. The Texas government can further promote the freedom and equality in Texas by encouraging the people of Texas to interact with each other thus reducing acts of racism. The government should also encourage the prosecution of leaders who instigate racial acts and encourage the citizens to elect leaders who are not biased.
Racism has been for a long time the primary cause of the political, social and economic conflicts in Texas. By fighting racism, we will be able to ensure that the freedom and rights of everyone in the state are highly regarded.
What grabbed YouThe module has enabled me to identify racism as the leading cause of civil rights conflicts. The Anglo-Americans have for a long time set laws that limited the rights and freedom of the minorities to ensure they have control over them. However, through education, the different groups of minorities have been able to learn that they have equal rights to the Anglo-Americans. This has enabled them to effectively organize themselves into influential groups that have allowed them strategically fight for equality and freedom.
The module has also allowed me to learn that voting rights are paramount. Most of the races focus on ensuring the voting laws formulated by their state is supportive to their race, thus ensuring their leaders have a high chance of being elected as the state's leaders. The racial groups acknowledge that the election of their leaders would ensure that the state laws formed would be beneficial to them. This is because the elected leaders form the governing body of the state.
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