Justice Dept. Shoots Down South Carolina Voter ID Law

The Justice Department today rejected South Carolina's law requiring voters to show photo identification, saying the law makes it harder for minorities to vote. Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said the law didn't meet the burden under the Voting Rights Act and tens of thousands of minorities in South Carolina might not be unable to cast ballots under the law.

Perez said non-whites comprise about one-third of South Carolina's registered voters. Minorities also are one-third of the registered voters who don't have the right ID to vote. South Carolina can sue over the rejection, pass a new law, or submit more data to the Justice Department. South Carolina's new voter ID law required people casting ballots to show poll workers a state-issued driver's license or ID card, a US military ID, or a US passport. (More voter ID laws stories.)