Following the release of the new version of the Texas legislature’s voter restriction proposals, it is clear that Texas Republicans are bent on doing everything they can to restrict access to the ballot box. This bill is part of a sustained, national attack on voting rights from Republicans–backed by dark money–as they continue to limit the right to vote, especially for Black and brown Americans.
The new legislation introduced last night in the Texas House bans drive-in and 24 hour voting–which at least 127,000 voters used in the 2020 election; sets new, burdensome requirements for absentee voting; restricts campaign activities used to encourage people to vote; gives more power to partisan poll-watchers; and puts harsh penalties on the patriotic citizens who work to run our elections.
Yesterday, Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives who serve on the Elections Committee explained on a press call with End Citizens United // Let America Vote that they are going into the special session ready to do what is best for their constituents and for the people of Texas, and called for the U.S. Senate to act quickly and pass the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1) to help them fight these voter restriction measures. “We need H.R. 1, the For the People Act, and we need H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Both of these are essential to protecting the rights of all American voters and we need Congress to act. They need to make sure they get these bills passed,” said Representative John Bucy (D-136).
“This new bill is a danger to democracy and will limit Texans’ access to the ballot box. We were proud to stand with the Texas Democrats when they blocked the bill in May and stand ready to fight with them again to help protect the freedom to vote for all Texans,” said End Citizens United // Let America Vote President Tiffany Muller. “Texas Democrats can only hold the line for so long. The U.S. Senate must step in to pass the For the People Act to protect every American’s voting rights and counteract these measures in Texas and the litany of anti-voting bills being advanced across the country.”
Even without this new proposal, Texas is already among the most difficult states in the country to vote in. Since the 2013 Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder that gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Texas has closed over 750 polling locations, the most of any state. Those closed polling sites were disproportionately in Black and brown neighborhoods. In the 2020 election, Texas ranked 44th in voter turnout out of all 50 states.
Nationally, 389 bills have been introduced in 48 states this year that seek to limit access to the ballot box. Democrats in Texas and nationwide have been doing all that they can to prevent these proposals from being passed into law. However, the most effective way to counter these pieces of legislation is for the Senate to pass the For the People Act.
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