GOP legislators pass broad new curbs on voting
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republican lawmakers advanced a sweeping elections bill early Friday that would put America’s biggest red state closer to imposing a raft of new voting restrictions in the face of growing opposition from corporations.
The vote at 3 a.m. in the Texas House followed hours of debate as Democrats, who had little means of stopping the bill in the GOPcontrolled state Capitol, deployed technical challenges and hours of questioning the bill’s author, Republican state Rep. Briscoe Cain. Finally, an agreement was reached between Republicans and Democrats leaving the bill with 20 amendments that significantly watered down some of what advocates called the most problematic aspects of the bill as it passed 8164.
Thursday’s bill was combined with a similar bill, which already passed the Senate, and both chambers still need to negotiate a final version before it goes to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has broadly defended the measures.
“It is old Jim Crow dressed up in what our colleagues are calling election integrity,” said Democratic state Rep. Jessica Gonzalez.
Thursday’s debate came the same day Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, signed a wideranging bill to make his the latest state to toughen its election rules.
Abbott, who has not wavered in his backing of his party’s restrictions and has lashed out at businesses that have spoken out, reiterated his support.
“I made election integrity an emergency item this session to help ensure every eligible voter gets to vote & only eligible ballots are counted,” he tweeted.
Cain, who chairs the House Elections Committee and who authored the House version of the voting bill, echoed those sentiments. Cain has been an ardent support of former President Donald Trump, who continues to make false claims that fraud cost him the 2020 election.
“We don’t need to wait for bad things to happen to protect the security of the election,” Cain said. “I don’t believe that this is voter suppression, I believe it is voter enhancement.”
Restrictions in the bill would outlaw county officials from sending mailballot request forms to all registered voters, efforts voting officials in Harris County — which includes Houston — put in place last year to expand ballot access when inperson gatherings were more hazardous because of the coronavirus pandemic.