US appeals court says Albuquerque voter law legal

Associated Press - November 20, 2008 2:05 PM ET

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A federal appeals court has ruled an Albuquerque ordinance that requires voters in municipal elections to produce photo identification is constitutional.

The 10th U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver this week overturned a decision by U.S. District Court in Albuquerque that said the ordinance violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause by imposing a significant burden on the fundamental right to vote.

A panel of appeals court judges wrote that the Albuquerque ordinance is a valid method of preventing voter fraud.

The appeal stems from a lawsuit filed in 2005 by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the League of Woman Voters and other plaintiffs.

The ordinance was approved by Albuquerque voters in October 2005.