Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Texas Republican, criticized Democrats during a House Judiciary Committee hearing for comparing voter identification requirements to the Jim Crow era, arguing the analogy minimizes the historical reality of legalized segregation and racial terror.
Rep. Wesley Hunt made the remarks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Manufacturing Hate,” where he objected to what he described as Democrats’ repeated claims that voter ID measures amount to “Jim Crow 2.0.”
In his comments, Hunt listed what he said characterized the Jim Crow era: Black Americans being barred from attending classrooms with white Americans, “colored only” water fountains, beatings in the streets and lynchings.
Hunt also recounted a family story, saying his father—who grew up in segregated New Orleans—had to go to the back of a restaurant in the French Quarter to order a sandwich because of the color of his skin.
Hunt argued that, given that history, it is “offensive” to compare the Jim Crow era to the requirement to show a photo ID at a voting booth. He also referenced a series of images displayed behind him as he spoke, using them to contrast segregation-era scenes with what he characterized as routine identification requirements in modern life.
