Are Voter ID Cards a Necessity?

In The Dallas Morning News, an editorial was written on July 13, 2012, entitled Texas Makes a Case Against Voter ID. The author creates a compelling argument by beginning with stating the facts. For five days, Texas presented its best evidence for how enforcing Voter ID cards is not a discrimination against minorities. The author points out that it has become a bigger issue than Texas' alone, but also one of national concern. Also, Texas is not the only Republican state that is facing accusations for discriminating against minorities. However, the author focuses on how Texas will be directly affected if it enforces Voter IDs. For example, 167,724 Texans will be deprived the right to vote, which is "equivalent of denying the vote to every person in Grand Prairie or in Brownsville." The author further explains that those making a case for using Voter IDs in order to prevent voter fraud is unnecessary, because "only five people have been prosecuted for impersonating a vote" and there have been "no cases involving noncitizens who had voted." The author uses valid statistics to persuade his readers, such as myself. He also uses another source, a statistician from the University of Texas at Austin, to create greater credibility. The target audience is every eligible Texas voter, especially those that will be affected by Voter ID cards. With that being said, why not consider the statistics?