AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Texas has responded to a federal demand for supplemental data as the Justice Department considers whether to approve requiring Texans to provide photo identification before they can vote.
Federal officials in September said they needed the racial breakdown and counties of residence of the estimated 605,500 registered voters who lack state-issued IDs. They also asked how many of voters have Spanish surnames.
Secretary of State Hope Andrade’s office submitted the Spanish-surnamed voter count Thursday, but the state hasn’t required voters to state their ethnicity when registering to vote since the mid-1960s. Ethnic breakdowns assembled by the Texas Department of Public Safety and other state agencies were submitted instead.
Justice Department spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa wouldn’t comment on the submission until it can be reviewed over the next 60 days.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)