[ad_1]
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The Texas Republicans brought their voting bill back on Monday with no changes as some Democrats returned to the Capitol for the first time since their opposition ended, making it clear that the bill is after their 38th day exit.
What you need to know
- Dozens of people turned up to testify before lawmakers, taking their last chance to make a public statement on Senate Act 1
- Senate Bill 1 would make postal voting a stricter process, increase the freedoms for election observers, and ban 24-hour, drive-thru voting
- Texas is the last of the major GOP states to pass even more restrictive electoral laws
Dozens of people came to testify before lawmakers to take their last chance for a public comment on the law tightening electoral rules in a way that the GOP says will ensure the integrity of the elections and the Democrats say they are voting for means disabled people and minorities.
Senate Act 1 would make postal voting a stricter process, increase the freedoms for election observers, and ban 24-hour, drive-thru voting in two directions in Harris County – which includes Houston and where 44% of its nearly 5 million residents Latinos and 20% are black – expanded options for voters and also offered protection from the coronavirus.
Candis Houston, who lives in Houston, said she arrived in Austin Sunday night so she could appear for testimony early Monday. She joined about 70 other people who arrived at the Capitol at sunrise.
Houston is opposed to the vote overhaul and wanted to share her experience of using a drive-through polling station with her daughters, including one that was positive for COVID-19 during the November election. Houston said the identities of her and her daughters had been thoroughly checked before voting, they were not allowed to take out cell phones, and it was more convenient than going into a building to vote.
“I had ancestors who died and marched to give us the privilege to vote and I’ll be there whenever I can,” said Houston, who is Black. “We should encourage people to vote, not restrict them by restricting where and when they can vote.”
But Steve Lawrence of the Houston suburb of The Woodlands appeared before lawmakers to pass the law. Lawrence said he was the district chairman, a party position that registers voters and encourages them to come up and cast a vote. However, he said he did not trust the way the 2020 elections were conducted and would ask lawmakers to make procedural changes regarding the management of postal ballot corrections, as well as the language for forensic backups of results and system maintenance.
“We’re not happy with the choice and the way there seems to be such a struggle to stop any review of the systems,” said Lawrence. “I think they wouldn’t fight so hard if it wasn’t for something.”
A House committee on Monday changed Senate Bill 1 to change the language in the version of the House Bill. The panel was expected to pass the bill, which will next lead to a full House vote, and it will be steps away from the desk of Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it.
Texas is the last of the major GOP states to pass even more restrictive voting laws, largely because more than 50 Democrats in the state House of Representatives flew to Washington, DC in July to block the proposals. The maneuver prevented the House from having enough members for a quorum that would allow it to conduct business. It was an escalation of a similar tactic used by the Democrats by resigning during the diminishing hours of the regular May legislative session.
Former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 elections were stolen have fueled resentment among many Americans and led the Republican Party to push through the changes. But GOP lawmakers don’t often refer to Trump’s name.
“The legislative intent of the bill is to apply this Code and conduct elections uniformly and consistently across the state to reduce the likelihood of fraud in the conduct of elections, protect election secrecy, promote access to voters, and everyone Legally cast ballots are counted so Texans can continue to rely on a reliable electoral system, said Republican MP Andrew Murr, draftsman. He told the House Committee on Monday that the language was inspired by non-partisan contributions.
The termination of the strike revealed rifts among the Texas Democrats, with some willing to publicly criticize their colleagues. But even Texas residents and activists who showed up Monday to testify admitted that the end of a seemingly lost battle is likely near.
Compared with hundreds of people queuing earlier this year, far fewer people queued to speak. The current surge in COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions in Texas due to the super-contagious Delta variant may have been a reason to avoid the overcrowded Capitol.
But Amber Mills, a volunteer with the bipartisan organization MOVE Texas, which works for underrepresented communities, said Monday’s low turnout didn’t mean Texans support the electoral law. And from their point of view, the fight against the draft law has already won.
“Even if we lose on this bill today or tomorrow, or whenever it happens, we are in a better position than we were in the last session and we know we will continue like this,” said Mills.
[ad_2]
