Rick Perry: Obama denying states ‘right to make sovereign decisions’ on voter ID

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) on Friday attacked the Obama administration for “a clear violation of the 10th Amendment” in denying Texas the “right to make sovereign decisions.”

Perry was responding to the Justice Department’s decision Monday to block the new Texas law requiring government-issued photo identification to vote. The dispute likely sets up what will be a larger, multistate controversy over voter laws in an already racially charged election year.

“In today’s world, having a photo ID, whether it’s to get on an airplane or whether it’s to cash a check or it’s to check a library book out, is pretty standard fare,” Perry told Fox News. “The only thing that I can put out is that there’s obviously those that would like to fraudulently impact elections, and therefore they are against having a photo ID. Otherwise, it makes all the sense in the world. We’ve put in place ways for people to get those IDs.”

Perry said voter fraud is a serious problem in Texas. According to DOJ, Texas did not provide enough evidence to support the claim.

The argument upheld by DOJ is that the legislation disproportionately harms poor, minority and elderly voters who are less likely to have state-issued photo identification.

“The DOJ has no valid reason for rejecting this important law, which requires nothing more extensive than the type of photo identification necessary to receive a library card or board an airplane,” Perry said in a statement at the time. “Their denial is yet another example of the Obama administration’s continuing and pervasive federal overreach.”

On Fox News, the former presidential candidate denied that the issue is a partisan one.

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