1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this article. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)

2. On what grounds did U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos block Texas’s revised voter identification law (SB 5) last month?

3. a) For what reason did the Texas legislature replace SB 14 with SB 5?
b) How does SB 5 remedy the problem the court had with SB 14?

4. How did the judges from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals explain their ruling on Tuesday?

5. a) Do you think Texas has made a reasonable accommodation for voters to obtain ID in the revised SB 5? Explain your answer.

b) Republicans say voter identification is necessary to prevent voter fraud. They present statistics showing that people who are deceased have voted, that people with fake names vote, that people vote in two different locations and that in various locations, more people vote than are eligible to vote in that district. (See “Background” below)
Democrats say identification should not be required to vote because it causes voter disenfranchisement (voter suppression). In other words, Democrats say that requiring a citizen to show identification when voting unfairly prevents minorities from voting as they are unable to obtain a valid identification and/or will be intimidated into not voting. They say that requiring citizens to show proof of identity prohibits people who don’t have a driver’s license, passport, or other photo ID, from voting. They also point to the fact of voter intimidation/suppression in the South in the century after the Civil War.
Read the Texas voter law provisions and “How to obtain a voter ID card in Texas”
With whom do you agree? Explain your answer.

6. a) In what situations do people currently have to show ID? (List at least 8)
b) Ask a parent: In what situations do you currently have to show ID?
c) Do you think citizens should be required to show photo ID in order to vote? Explain your answer.

7. a) Do you think voter ID laws will improve or harm the integrity of elections? Explain your answer.
b) Voter ID requirements are not uncommon. Currently 33 US states enforce identification rules before allowing citizens to vote in person and that number is continuing to rise. Do you think all states should implement ID requirements for voters? Explain your answer.