EXPLAINER: How Texas Republicans aim to make voting harder

[mystery-ak]

EXPLAINER: How Texas Republicans aim to make voting harder
By ACACIA CORONADO 51 minutes ago

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas took a major step Sunday toward becoming the nation’s largest state where the GOP is making voting harder following the 2020 elections , with the Senate approving a bill that would empower poll watchers, create criminal penalties and add new restrictions on where, when and how to vote.

Advocates say the changes would disproportionately affect minorities and people with disabilities.

The legislation still has two remaining steps before it becomes the law in Texas: a final vote of approval in the GOP-controlled House that was expected Sunday, which would send the bill to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is is expected to sign off.

America’s largest red state already has some of the tightest voting restrictions in the country and is regularly cited by nonpartisan groups as a state where voting is especially difficult. It was one of the few states that did not make it easier to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic, instead sending droves of voters to the polls to cast their ballots in-person.

Senate approval of the wide-ranging legislation happened at 6 a.m. Sunday, hours after after a final version of the 67-page bill was released from private negotiations on Saturday. Democrats questioned Republicans about the legislation for eight hours in their final attempts to block the changes from becoming law.

The timing gives the public little time to review — or protest — the overhaul during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, and the legislative session ends by law Monday.

So what’s included in the planned changes and how did they come about? Here are some details:

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https://apnews.com/article/tx-state-wire-donald-trump-texas-senate-elections-voting-ef82918d28024d7abe09277c4c2534fe

[AARguy]

Unsolicited ballots mailed to voters is the key to mail fraud strategy. Just send out ballots everywhere and accept them back, filled out without ID. Wow... what an opportunity to fake an election!

Don't require ID so anyone can visit a local cemetery, find a name and go vote that name. Yeah, eliminating THAT cheating tactic is really bad.

Only in radical left Lalaland could requiring ID and eliminating unsolicited mail ballots be considered an impediment to voting when, in reality, these things ensure an honest and free election.

[PeteS in CA]

The GOP legislation — known as Senate Bill 7 — proposes cutting back on early voting, banning drive-thru voting and making it a felony for elected voting officials who send unsolicited mail ballot applications to Texas voters. Harris County — which includes Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, and is a Democratic stronghold — introduced drive-thru voting for November’s election but courts blocked election officials from sending mail voting applications to all registered voters.

Final wording of the legislation also adds a voter ID requirement to mail ballot applications, requiring voters to submit a driver’s license or social security number.
...
Additionally, the bill would require people who are helping voters to disclose their relationship to the voter, whether they were paid to help and whether the voter is eligible to receive assistance and could face a state jail felony for violations

But partisan poll watchers — looking to raise concerns to their political party — would have more access and election workers could be charged with a crime if they block a poll watcher’s view.

[Idiot]

I was recruited to be a poll watcher while in college for Reagans first presidential run.  Fortunately there was nothing to document, but I did find it amazing that the election judge was sweating bullets with my presence.  We turned out to be good friends and later in later years I became his assistant judge.

Poll watchers are a GREAT idea....and they can work to help eliminate fraud.

[Bigun]

I was an election judge in Texas for more than 25 years and will assure you that partisan poll watchers are nothing new.  They were always allowed during the period of my experience.  I haven't read what was just passed yet, but I doubt it does anything bur reinforce what was already allowed in that area. 

No one will have a problem casting their legal votes, but illegal ones SHOULD become more difficult to get in the box.

[Fishrrman]

Didn't the TX dem-communists just shoot down that election bill...?

[HoustonSam]

Didn't the TX dem-communists just shoot down that election bill...?

News I saw about an hour ago indicates Gov Greg Abbott will veto the portion of the spending bill that pays the legislators' salaries.  Since they walked out in advance to deny a quorum he figures they didn't actually do their job, so they don't deserve their pay.

No idea how that would stack up to a legal challenge, but I like the idea.  If the R legislators don't like getting caught up in it as well then maybe they'll learn to play hardball representing the will of the voters.  No more D committee chairs would be a start (if that's still a thing).

[Bigun]

News I saw about an hour ago indicates Gov Greg Abbott will veto the portion of the spending bill that pays the legislators' salaries.  Since they walked out in advance to deny a quorum he figures they didn't actually do their job, so they don't deserve their pay.

No idea how that would stack up to a legal challenge, but I like the idea.  If the R legislators don't like getting caught up in it as well then maybe they'll learn to play hardball representing the will of the voters.  No more D committee chairs would be a start (if that's still a thing).

Unfortunately it is still a thing. 

[HoustonSam]

Unfortunately it is still a thing.

Well maybe the Gov will tighten the screws enough to get *all* of their attention.  I hope he can make it stick.

[Victoria33]

@mystery-ak
@Cyber Liberty

Here is the situation with the new laws regarding Texas elections.  The Democrats walked out so there would not be a quorum, therefore, the vote could not be taken to pass the bill.

Abbott will call a special session and I think it will be in August.  Newly passed bills in the legislative session normally take effect in September.

Here are a few changes in the Texas Election Code:

Here is a misunderstanding most people have about a mail ballot and the application for a mail ballot.  No mail ballot has ever been sent out by Texas unless there is an application for that mail ballot.  It is the APPLICATIONS for mail ballots that Harris County, includes Houston, sent to all their voters. 

Applications:
At this time, any political group, or candidate, can send applications for a mail ballot they print, to seniors or anyone else; however, a huge amount of money would be wasted to send EVERY voter an application as Texas law only allows seniors, disabled people and people who will be out of town, to vote by mail.

This NEW law stops groups and candidates from sending applications.  The only approved applications for a mail ballot will come from the county election officer.  A voter may ask in person, or call, or write for an application for a mail ballot. 

The NEW law adds ID information to be included on the mail application so the county election officer knows the application is from that voter and no one else.  I do not yet know what the additional ID information is but I can find this bill by going to the the Texas Legislature on line.   

[Elderberry]

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/05/30/texas-voting-restrictions-senate/

Throughout the debate, Hughes argued SB 7 was striving for “common sense” solutions that secured elections from wrongdoing and fraud.

“We want elections to be secure and accessible,” he said.

Defending the additions as a standard part of the conference committee process, Hughes argued that many of the additions were pulled from other bills passed by the Senate or generally discussed by the chamber.

The new provisions include language from separate Republican bills that failed to pass that would set a new voter ID rule for mail-in ballots, requiring voters to provide their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number, if they have one, on their applications for those ballots. For their votes to be counted, voters will be required to include matching information on the envelopes used to return their ballots.

Other changes, including a new window of 1 to 9 p.m. for early voting on Sundays, hadn’t come up until they were added to the conference committee report outside of public view. State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, raised the possibility that change could hamper “souls to the polls” efforts meant to turn out voters after church services and questioned the justification for a 1 p.m. start time.

[Victoria33]

@Elderberry

Elderberry, you posted: "The new provisions include language from separate Republican bills that failed to pass that would set a new voter ID rule for mail-in ballots, requiring voters to provide their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number, if they have one, on their applications for those ballots. For their votes to be counted, voters will be required to include matching information on the envelopes used to return their ballots."

Thank you, Elderberry, now I do not have to search for the new ID requirements on the applications for a mail ballot.  Hopefully, these requirements will be passed in the special session of the Texas legislature.  There may be more new laws regarding elections, so I will read the whole bill.

The last time Texas Democrats left so there was no quorum to vote on a bill:
This was in years past when district lines had to be redrawn after the census:
Democrats did not like the way district lines were to be redrawn, so they left the state of Texas.  Some went to New Mexico and some went to Oklahoma.  It was decided the Texas Rangers would hunt them down in those two states and make them come back. Before that could happen, the Dems came back rater than be dragged back by our Texas Rangers.

[HoustonSam]

The last time Texas Democrats left so there was no quorum to vote on a bill:
This was in years past when district lines had to be redrawn after the census:
Democrats did not like the way district lines were to be redrawn, so they left the state of Texas.  Some went to New Mexico and some went to Oklahoma. It was decided the Texas Rangers would hunt them down in those two states and make them come back. Before that could happen, the Dems came back rater than be dragged back by our Texas Rangers.

And if I recall correctly David Dewhurst, then the Lt Governor, gave a speech welcoming them back and promising them that no matter what their disagreements, they would always have friends in the TX State Legislature.  That sealed my vote for Cruz in his first run for US Senate and, I think, effectively ended Dewhurst's political career.

[LadyLiberty]

Ah, yes. The Killer Bees.