Justice Dept. Rejects Voter ID

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) –The U.S. Department of Justice has rejected South Carolina’s voter ID law, saying the new policy doesn’t do enough to ensure that minority voters aren’t discriminated against. Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said Friday that South Carolina didn’t meet its burden under the Voting Rights Act of showing the new law does not make it more difficult for non-whites to vote. Perez says non-whites comprise about one-third of South Carolina’s registered voters and one-third of registered voters who don’t have the right ID the law would require to vote. Perez says tens of thousands of South Carolina minorities may be unable to cast ballots. The Justice Department must approve changes to South Carolina’s election laws because of the state’s past failure to protect the voting rights of blacks.