Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Tuesday signed a sweeping invoice overhauling the state’s elections, capping a dramatic, monthslong nationwide saga ov
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Tuesday signed a sweeping invoice overhauling the state’s elections, capping a dramatic, monthslong nationwide saga over voting rights with a brand new Republican-led legislation that may sharply limit voting throughout the nation’s second-biggest state.
Showing in deeply pink East Texas, Mr. Abbott proclaimed the legislation a “paradigm” for different states trying to cross election payments.
Mr. Abbott argued that the legislation would make it “tougher for folks to cheat on the poll field in Texas.” Flanked on the signing by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the 2 Republican sponsors of the invoice, he claimed that it will “make it simpler than ever earlier than for anyone to go forged a poll.”
Mr. Abbott was referring, partly, to provisions within the legislation that add an additional hour on weekdays throughout early voting. However the laws in truth comprises a number of measures that may make voting tougher. Specifically, it bans balloting strategies that Harris County, which incorporates the Democratic bastion of Houston, launched final 12 months to make voting simpler in the course of the pandemic, together with drive-through polling locations and 24-hour voting.
The legislation may even additional limit absentee voting, with one provision barring election officers from sending voters unsolicited absentee poll functions and from selling using vote by mail, and one other additional limiting using drop containers.
The legislation additionally drastically empowers partisan ballot watchers; creates new legal and civil penalties for ballot staff who fall afoul of the principles; and erects new boundaries for these trying to help voters who need assistance, corresponding to with translations.
Earlier than Mr. Abbott had even signed the invoice, voting rights teams, civil rights teams and Democrats filed lawsuits towards the laws, arguing that a number of provisions would violate each the Voting Rights Act and amendments to the Structure.
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