New Texas Voting Law Weaponizes ‘Debunked Accusations of Widespread Voter Fraud,’ Lawsuit Says – By Jerry Lambe (Law and Crime) / Sept 7 2021
A coalition of voting rights organizations in Texas asked a federal judge on Tuesday to prevent the state from enforcing a sweeping set of controversial new laws that severely restrict the ways Texans can cast a ballot. The measure, SB 1, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, bans 24-hour and drive-thru voting while adding new requirements for citizens that wish to cast a ballot by mail, among other restrictions.
Echoing many other GOP officials, Gov. Abbott on Tuesday said the purpose of the bill was to ensure that all Texans “have trust and confidence in our elections,” despite the state seeing its highest voter turnout in nearly 30 years during the 2020 presidential election.
“The bill I’m about to sign helps to achieve that goal,” Abbott said during the special bill signing ceremony. “Election integrity is now law in the state of Texas.”
But the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, describes the measure as an “omnibus voter suppression bill” whose primary aim is to disenfranchise minority voters and bolster Republican’s power. The state’s demographics—particularly in densely populated cities—have shifted in recent years towards populations that traditionally vote for more Democratic candidates.
