Austin, Texas (AP) – A drastic change to Texas’ electoral law is imminent. Signatures from Republican Governor Greg Abbott make it difficult to vote in states that already have some of the most restrictive electoral laws in the country and are sometimes even legally dangerous.
Democrats blocked the Capitol for 38 consecutive days after more than 50 fled to Washington, DC in July to deny Republicans the quorum necessary for the conduct of the state’s affairs. .. A sufficient number of them returned within two weeks to end the impasse, and Republican leaders did the quick job of getting the bill through both rooms on Tuesday. Abbott said he would sign soon.
Let’s take a closer look at the content of the final version of the law.
Empower pollsters
Some of the major changes to Texas law involve partisan election observers, volunteers hired by both major political parties to monitor votes and counts. Most recently, in 1962, some Republican pollsters in Texas read and clarified the US Constitution to black and Latin American voters before voting in a campaign called Operation Eagle Eye. I asked you to. In 2020, President Donald Trump cited unconfirmed observations from Republican election observers to instill suspicion about the outcome. Make false claims about fraud.
The final wording of the comprehensive bill gives partisan pollsters new access, protection and power. The law makes it a class A administrative offense (comparable to a vehicle robbery) for electoral authorities if the electoral authorities reject appointed pollsters. According to this draft law, anyone who intentionally blocks the view of pollsters is also breaking the law. The bill states that observers can “move freely” and “sit and stand close enough to hear and see activity”. Texas law still prohibits election observers from monitoring the actual vote, but it can monitor the transmission of voting data.
The law allows election observers to initiate proceedings against disruptive election authorities and to obtain court orders. The new proposal requires election observers to commit not to harass voters, to attend training before participation, and to provide evidence upon arrival.
Eligible voters can only be dismissed if an election worker or a judge witnesses a violation and they violate criminal law.
Republicans argue that these changes are necessary because voters will only trust elections if their representatives have free access to almost all aspects of voting and counting. But Democrats and civil rights groups are concerned about the history of Conservatives in Texas using polling institutes to intimidate racial and minority voters.
Limit your choices
Laws made by Republicans make it clear how democratic circles can make it easier for people to vote, especially during a coronavirus pandemic. It bans ballot boxes (a practice that has been used in other states for many years without major problems) and bans postal ballot applications and ballot papers being sent to all voters. The bill would also be a crime for election officers who vote for unsolicited applications and ballot papers by mail.
Republican law also bans through voting for most voters and regulates the length of time the county government can keep polling stations open. This will stop the 24-hour voting area. Harris County, Houston is one of the largest and most racially diverse regions in the United States. 140,000 voters said they used passageways and 24-hour locations in November.
Republicans argue that these procedures were used during an ongoing but one-off pandemic and should not be a normal feature of state voting. Democrats and electoral groups say these measures have made it easy for people to vote, especially for working class, young and sick voters to have access to vote.
Two provisions of the bill will make voting more convenient by extending early voting time and allowing workers to vote during or on election days.
New hurdles in voting
Texas is already one of the most difficult states in the country to vote by post. This procedure is restricted to voters or persons with disabilities aged 65 and over who leave the state during elections. Republicans in Texas and elsewhere after Trump opposed postal voting on a failed re-election bid. In contrast to this method, I tried to tighten the rules.
The Texas bill includes a requirement to provide a driver’s license number, a ballot certificate, or the last four digits of a Social Security number, plus an “ink on paper” signature that is verifiable to match one of the voters’ more steps and paperwork for you who Have previously signed the appropriate record with the Texas Public Safety Authority.
Opponents of this provision, which is similar to those in Georgia, said it would create another opportunity for voters to make small mistakes and increase the likelihood of ballot papers being thrown away. There is.
The new proposal partially addresses this concern. Voters who submit ballots before election day will be notified of the problem and can contact the polling office to resolve some issues that could disqualify the vote, such as: B. Inconsistent signatures. ..
Criminal punishment
Texas law, as others suggested earlier this year, creates or spreads some election-related offenses. Some of them are broad and can trap voters or their supporters. Republicans argue that it is necessary to prevent fraud and undue influence on voters. To be precise, the Democratic Party notes that fraudulent votes are extremely rare. The state’s Republican attorney general has spent millions of dollars investigating fraudulent elections since last year, but found only a handful of cases in the state where more than 11 million people voted in November.
The bill extends the existing obligation on voters who support voters on ballot papers to provide information about envelopes that certify their role. Under the law, anyone who helps voters fill out ballot papers, under penalty of perjury, will provide their name, address, relatives and details of whether they have been paid by the campaign or political commissioner. You have to swear. Voters who cannot fill out or read the ballot themselves can vote with support.
Following the victory of the disability advocates who said the clause required disclosure of personal or medical information, the final wording of the bill aims to prove that voters are eligible for a disability or inability to read ballot papers. The oath has been changed to eliminate the need for voting assistants.
The law also requires that local electoral authorities refer all cases of improperly cast ballot papers to the Attorney General. Voter groups fear that this could be misused to track down common mistakes, such as voters failing to renew their registrations as they move through districts. Republicans argue that this is a sensible way of preventing fraud.
Words that would protect against criminal prosecution if people convicted of a crime had cast their vote without knowing they were not eligible to vote were cut off at the last minute. This is one of the few areas of the bipartisan deal with two Texas voters (both black) who have been criticized in a widespread dispute over election restrictions that the opposition will disproportionately affect voters. ) was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Representatives in response to opposition to the arrest. The Republicans in the Senate refused to change.
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Riccardi reported from Denver.
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Coronado is a corps member of the Associated Press / American Capitol News Initiative Report Report. Report for America is a not-for-profit national utility that brings journalists to the local newsroom to cover unreported issues.