Sunday June 20th at 5:30 pm voting rights supporters from across the state will gather at the state Capitol to protest attempts by the Governor and state Republicans to limit voters access to the polls. You need to be there!
Although Democrats were able to kill the voting restriction bill (SB 7) by walking out of the Capitol in unison at the last minute, these efforts are not dead. The Governor is calling a special session to get the voting bills passed.
Even though Republicans say these bills are to ensure voting integrity, there were less than a dozen cases of voter fraud found in a state with 16 MILLION voters. According to the Houston Chronicle fact checkers there are 43 pending voter fraud cases and “Only one of those pending cases stems from the 2020 election, in which more than 11 million Texans cast ballots.”
Some of the things being attempted to shove down the throats of Texas voters include:
Bills filed in the last legislative session had a pile of ways they attacked voting rights. They limited the days and hours of early voting severely, they almost did away with drop boxes for mail in ballots. They limited polling places in more populous counties by requiring all counties have the same number of polling places; this of course means longer lines where there more people. The bills said no more 24 hour voting, or drive through voting.
Poll watchers (partisan, untrained people “making sure” voting is legal) are allowed to come right up to voters, particularly anyone getting assistance voting (can you say disabled) and watch, listen and even film the person voting. Voter intimidation anyone?
The attacks specifically on disabled voters were part of these bills. They started out saying you had to prove your disability with confirmation from a medical or governmental entity (though people voting by mail for other reasons don’t have to prove themselves.) Disability advocates worked hard to tone that down so in the end they said disabled voters have to disclose the reason for voting by mail and needed to “not [be] capable of appearing at the polling place on Election Day without needing personal assistance or injuring the person’s health.” Also disabled voters would have to sign an affidavit they have a disability.
Anyone who drives 3 or more people to the polls must sign a form saying they are not influencing the people’s vote with criminal penalties if it is in any way false. The driver must get out of the vehicle while people vote and election observers can get in the vehicle with the voters.
Poll watchers who think something is wrong can challenge your vote and people assisting voters who are deemed directing the voter can be charged with a serious crime.
If illegally cast votes are found a court can overturn the entire election.