UPDATE: Variety of documents acceptable for Texans to prove ID in order to vote

UPDATE:

Texas election officials will be required to formulate a statewide voter education plan by August 15, and have it implemented prior to the November General Election, informing voters of the changes in voting procedures.

Per the ruling on July 23, that the Texas Voter ID law is in violation of the Voting Rights Act, voters will no longer be required to present a photo ID which included: a Texas state driver’s license or ID card, military ID, passport, photo citizenship certificate, or a concealed handgun license.

The new voting procedure will accept any of the following documents to verify identification:

• Bank statement
• Certified birth certificate
• Current utility bill
• Government check
• Paycheck
• Voter registration certificate
• Any government document with the voter’s name and address

Note: Voters lacking one of the previously required photo IDs must sign a form stating he or she has a reasonable impediment to obtaining a photo ID.

A decision on whether the initial voter ID law was implemented by Texas legislators, intentionally to discriminate against minorities, is still pending.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

AUSTIN, Texas - A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas' strict voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act and has ordered changes before the November election.

The ruling was issued Wednesday by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling instructs a lower court to make changes that fix the "discriminatory effect" of the 2011 law in the months leading up to this fall's election.

But the ruling said the lower court should make changes that disrupt this year's election season as little as possible.

The Obama administration took the unusual step of deploying the weight of the U.S. Justice Department into the case when it challenged the law.