Washington Post: Texas Republicans finalize bill that would enact stiff new voting restrictions and make it easier to overturn election results
Washington Post: Texas Republicans finalize bill that would enact stiff new voting restrictions and make it easier to overturn election results
In a last-minute addition, language was inserted in the bill making it easier to overturn an election, no longer requiring evidence that fraud actually altered an outcome of a race — but rather only that enough ballots were illegally cast that could have made a difference.
The final draft of Senate Bill 7 was filed Saturday morning, after being mired for days in protracted negotiations between the state House and Senate. The measure bucks the entreaties of civil rights leaders and business executives who sought to head off legislation they say will suppress voter participation and disenfranchise voters of color.
But GOP lawmakers pushed forward, saying it was necessary to shore up voter trust, even as they struggled to justify the need for stricter rules in the state, where officials said the 2020 election was secure. …
Advocates said the measure is likely to disproportionately affect Texans of color, noting that an analysis by the Texas Civil Rights Project showed that after-hours voting was used predominantly by Black and Latino voters.
“The choice to push this legislation forward in the dark, despite overwhelming opposition from the people of Texas, is about the politicians in power doing everything they can to manipulate the outcome of future elections to keep themselves in power,” said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas.