Senators concerned from the obligation of photo ID to vote (AP)

WASHINGTON-sixteen Democratic Senators want the Justice Department to examine if voting rights are being compromised in States that require photo identification so that the people to vote.

The lawmaker wrote Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday to express concern that millions of voters do not have an ID issued by the Government — in particular the elderly, racial minorities, low-income voters and students.

Senators say photo ID requirements have the potential to block millions of eligible persons from exercising their right to vote.

Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said the Department is monitoring, as does normally, this type of legislative activity States.

"We urge you to protect the voting rights of Americans using the full power of the Justice Department to review these laws of voter identification and scrutinizing their implementation," the Senators said in the letter to the Attorney General.

The 16 senators, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Patty Murray of Washington, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, Mark Begich of Alaska, Tom Harkin of IowaKohl grass of Wisconsin and Tom Udall of New Mexico.

"Many of these laws effectively because thousands of eligible voters," Bennett said in a statement.

Senators are looking vigorous enforcement of the Voting Rights Act and the federal civil rights law, which bars different standards being applied to individuals within a jurisdiction. Section 5 of the voting rights Act gives the authority significant Department of Justice to review the laws before they are implemented in States with a history of discriminatory voting practices. Three States subject to section 5 — Georgia, Texas and South Carolina — require a photo ID to vote. Texas and South Carolina promulgated their laws last month.

Other States with a photo ID requirement are Indiana, Wisconsin, Kansas and Tennessee, according to the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, which collects national data on the electoral law.

Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, and South Dakota have photo ID requirements for voters, but not necessarily prevent voters from casting ballots, according to data collected by Moritz. Voters can, for example, signed an affidavit in lieu of a photo ID.

Other States where the issue is pending or where these proposals were rejected:

_ In Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire and North Carolina, Democratic Governors vetoed legislation.

_ In Pennsylvania, State House Republicans pushed through a mandate this month that the voters of Pennsylvania have a photo ID issued by the Government. The measure was sent to the State Senate.

_ In Ohio, the State House passed a Bill to require voters to show a photo ID at the polls. The measure is likely to be considered in the Senate GOP controlled this fall.

Photo IDS are not the only controversial issue in the context of the requirements of the voters.

In Arizona, minority groups are to court challenging a State law that requires people to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The Department of Justice of the United States urged the courts to overturn the law, saying that contrasts with the voter registration Act. This federal law allows people to submit a paper mail-in voter registration and swear that they are citizens under penalty of perjury.

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