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WASHINGTON —U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and former Texas Attorney General, issued this statement responding to reports that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will criticize Texas’ voter identification law later today in a speech in Austin:“Voter identification laws are constitutional and necessary to prevent fraud at the ballot box. “Facing an election challenge next year, this Administration has chosen to target efforts by the states to protect the democratic process. “They would do well instead to focus on job creation, the economy, and reducing our national debt.” Background

• Less than two weeks ago the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced “new initiatives to push back against voter identification laws.” (“DNC Pushes Back Against New Voter ID Laws,” Roll Call, 12/1/11)

• Polling shows that 75% of registered voters support laws requiring photo identification before being allowed to vote —including 77% of Independents and 63% of Democrats. (“75% Support Showing Photo ID at the Polls,” Rasmussen, 6/9/11)

• The United States Supreme Court has previously upheld state voter identification laws as constitutional. (“ACLU Sues Over Voter-ID Law,” Wall Street Journal, 12/13/11)

• Recent studies have shown that voter turnout actually increased after the implementation of photo voter identification laws. (“The Effects of Photographic Identification on Voter Turnout in Indiana: A County-Level Analysis,” Univ. of Missouri Institute of Public Policy, December 2007)