Austin American-Statesman: Texas has less to spend on voter outreach as election approaches under new rules

The Texas secretary of state’s office is operating a statewide voter education campaign ahead of the November election with less money than in past years. The Legislature directed $3.5 million for the current two-year budget cycle under a program meant to educate voters on voter ID requirements. In previous two-year budgets, the Legislature allocated $4 million for the effort.

The campaign operates ahead of the first November election under new election rules prescribed by Senate Bill 1, a state law that changed voting hours, rules for voter assistants, and mail-in ballot requirements.

Some advocates say that, given voter confusion over some aspects of the new law during the spring primaries, the money dedicated to the outreach isn’t enough. …

Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of the nonpartisan voter education and advocacy organization Common Cause Texas, says the secretary of state’s office needs to do more for voter education, especially with the changes SB 1 brought.

“When they do voter education, whether it’s for voter ID or what they did in the primary for mail-in ballots, this secretary of state traditionally does very little. Nowhere near what they would do if they’re serious about actually educating every Texan on these messages,” Gutierrez said.

The VoteReady campaign is focusing on voters ages 65 and older and Texans who speak Spanish as target demographics. The secretary of state’s office provided the American-Statesman with a budget breakdown of its voter identification education campaign, which included overall amounts for ads in English and Spanish but not a breakdown by language.

Gutierrez said communities that do not primarily speak English are disproportionately affected by SB 1 and need more assistance on these new election rules.