Topic: Texas has recently made the news regarding its voter ID laws. The federal 5th Circuit Court ordered in 2016 that Texas' voter ID laws were in violation of the Voting Rights Act. This fall, the

Topic: Texas has recently made the news regarding its voter ID laws. The federal 5th Circuit Court ordered in 2016 that Texas' voter ID laws were in violation of the Voting Rights Act. This fall, the court rejected a revised bill to change these laws. As such, Texas' voting laws will have to again be addressed in a special session before any future elections. The state's Attorney General and Governor have asked for an emergency stay so that the Supreme Court can review this decision.

In your paper, focus on explaining following:

What are the Texas voter ID laws that are being questioned? What do they require of voters?What do you think the effect of these laws is? Why are they important to our elections process?What is the relevance of the Voting Rights Act and Shelby County v. Holder to the Texas laws?What were the Federal Court Judges' arguments for rejecting Texas' laws? Do they give a persuasive argument? Why or why not?What was the state's argument for the bill? Is this a persuasive argument? Why or why not?What is your solution regarding these laws. Explain.You may want to read the following primary sources to help you:

Senate Bill 14 Senate Bill 5Veasey v. Abbott OpinionCourt Remedy orderApplication for Emergency Stay*You are welcome to use secondary sources, but make sure that they are credible and are properly cited.*

Formatting and Citation: Papers will be graded using the provided rubric to evaluate students’ communication and critical thinking skills as well as their personal and social responsibility. Papers should be:

At least four (4) pages, not including citationsIn 12-point Times New Roman or Arial fontDouble spacedWith one inch marginsCritically thought out and well writtenProofread and spellcheckedUsing academic languageAble to incorporate provided resources and researchProperly formatted and citedRemember that content is more important than length. Citation and formatting can be in APA, MLA or Chicago/Turabian styles, but there must be both in-text and end citations. Failure to cite appropriately, like all other forms of plagiarism, will result in an automatic zero (0) grade. If you have questions about content, structure, formatting and/or citation, see me or visit the TJC Writing Center.

Core curriculum guidelines: Through a well-written assignment, students will:

Analyze a significant current political issue in Texas politicsIdentify/Explain the methods used by major political actors to present their proposed solutions to that issueDiscuss/Describe how the student would address and present their solution to the issue in the context of their rights and responsibilities as citizen of Texas. (Students may adopt a solution offered by one or more of the major political actors)Discuss/Describe how the student would promote their adopted solution to the issue in the context of their rights and responsibilities as a citizen of Texas.