Fort Worth Democrats at heart of Texas Voter ID ruling | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

At the heart of Wednesday’s legal victory over the state’s voter ID law was a lawsuit filed by Fort Worth Democrats.

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, and Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Sergio De Leon are among those who have been leading this legal challenge for the past five years.

“Texas voters’ fair access to the ballot box is restored,” Veasey, who was a state representative when he filed the lawsuit, said after the ruling. “After careful and thorough deliberation, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled on the right side of history.

“They found what many of us already knew to be true: Texas’ restrictive photo voter ID law discriminates against minority voters and disenfranchises eligible American voters,” he said. “As the lead plaintiff in Veasey v. Abbott, I am elated that after a long battle, Texans will once again be able to exercise one of their fundamental rights as U.S. citizens.”

De Leon was among the countless Texas Democrats also cheering on the court’s ruling.

“This is a huge win for Texas,” De Leon said. “We knew [the law] was wrong all along and we are glad to have that reaffirmed by this court ruling.

“The 5th Circuit is by far one of the most conservative in the nation and for them to strike down the law says something.”

The Democrats’ joy wasn’t shared by Texas Republicans who disagreed with the legal decision and vowed to continue the fight.

Return to lower court

Veasey, whose first job in politics was as a field representative for then-U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, D-Dallas, was a state lawmaker representing House District 95 when this lawsuit was filed.

It challenged a 2011 law requiring Texans to show a photo ID when they vote.

He and others maintained then and now that the measure passed by the Republican-led Texas Legislature wasn’t right or fair to all voters.

In an email sent to supporters on Wednesday seeking contributions, Veasey noted that the voter ID case “will not be effective for the 2016 elections, but will instead return to the lower courts for a remedy.”

Local state representatives had different opinions about the ruling.

“Great, great news,” state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, tweeted. “A huge win for our democracy!”

State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, disagreed. “We don’t have a democracy here sorry,” he tweeted in response.