True The Vote Files Motion to Intervene Against DOJ Voter ID Case in Texas

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Sep 25, 2013, 05:57 ET

HOUSTON, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- True the Vote (TTV), the nation's leading voters' rights and election integrity organization, today filed a Motion to Intervene and Answers to the Holder Justice Department's complaint against Texas' voter identification law (United States, et. al v. Texas, et. al (2:13-cv-00263)).

TTV will argue that the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit is misguided based on constitutional, empirical and Supreme Court precedence matters.

"The Holder Justice Department has made clear its litigation against Texas will serve as a warning that other states should not pursue election integrity measures – True the Vote stands ready to fight their effort to dilute voters' rights," True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht said. "Over 80 percent of Americans favor laws changing to require photo voter identification at the polls[1]. When the DOJ makes baseless claims to obscure the integrity of the voting process, we will not stand idly by. If Texas is to be labeled a political prize by the Plaintiffs and their Interveners, attacking election integrity will not be an acceptable strategy."

True the Vote establishes its standing to intervene based on a number of factors. During a previous federal lawsuit regarding Texas' voter ID requirement (SB 14), DOJ attorneys and NAACP-LDF interveners repeatedly probed Texas lawmakers and election officials during depositions about TTV principals' involvement in the legislative process for the law.

"We're confident that our client's Petition to Intervene will be granted and will make a real impact on how the case is litigated," attorney Joe Nixon of the Houston-based Beirne, Maynard & Parsons said. "We will argue that the DOJ simply cannot attack Texas' voter ID requirement in the absence of an aggrieved individual."

True the Vote engaged legal representation from Houston-based Joe Nixon and Trey Trainor of Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, L.L.P. and J. Christian Adams of the Election Law Center. TTV's Motion to Intervene and Answers were filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division.

Click here to read True the Vote's filing.

True the Vote (TTV) is a nonpartisan, voters' rights and election integrity organization founded to inspire and equip volunteers for involvement at every stage of our electoral process. TTV empowers organizations and individuals across the nation to actively protect the rights of legitimate voters, regardless of their political party affiliation. For more information, please visit www.truethevote.org.

[1] Marist Poll for McClatchy on Voting Rights – Page 5, 7/25/2013 (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/25/197687/marist-poll-for-mcclatchy-on-voting.html)

SOURCE True the Vote