AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The Texas GOP-led parliament changed the electoral law on Tuesday, tightening early voting laws and cracking down on Democrats who had been fighting for months for what they said were rigorous attempts to disenfranchise a few with other anti-Democratic voters .
Republican Prime Minister Greg Abbott says he will sign the bill, which is the latest in a series of GOP international conventions to add new barriers to voting in the name of security. The effort, which sparked new bans in Georgia, Florida, Arizona and elsewhere, was fueled by former President Donald Trump’s false nominations.
Texas Democrats have been wrestling with the bill for months, saying the law was designed to make it difficult for young people, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities – all Democratic voters – to cast their ballots, as they see the population change to celebrate the party. The bill specifically addresses the safe haven of democracy, including Houston’s Harris County, and adds legislation to the already considered state in the most difficult areas to cast ballots.
The law began the summer in Texas Democrats’ trips, Republicans threats and arrests, Abbott reimbursement of fees to thousands of people when the bill failed to reach him quickly, as well as cases of racism and voter oppression.
“The reason for not voting is that it causes problems for people because of their skin color and ethnicity, and I am one of the people,” said Democrat Garnet Coleman, a reporter who returned to the Capitol earlier this month to help end the 38-day suspension. .
Although the final vote did not survive the debate after the Senate Republicans, in the latter case, disrupted one of the few sections of the coalition: efforts to protect voters with false beliefs in lawsuits if they did not realize they were not eligible to vote. It was also included after the reversal of the arrests of two Texas voters, both black and white, which sparked opposition in a major struggle over the voting ban which opponents say has a profound effect on racism.
Texas will reduce voting hours and empower elected observers under a nearly 75-page bill, called the Senate Bill 1. It is very similar to what Democrats first came out 93 days ago, confirming how Republicans, who have major roles in both House and Senate chambers , became more confident after months of demonstrations and increasing weather.
“Senate Bill 1 will strengthen our confidence in the outcome of our elections by making it easier to vote and more likely to steal. I hope to sign Senate Bill 1 into law, and ensure that elections are held in Texas, “Abbott said in a few minutes.
This may not be possible with Abbott’s signature.
The Texas Capitol is expected to change sometime to fight another war that could bring up voting maps that could close out Republican interests in the next decade. Texas has added more than 4 million citizens since 2010, more than any other country, with a population of more than 9 out of 10 new nationalities.
Democrats have criticized the ballot paper as a way to curb the influx of rising voters and various nominees such as Republicans, who are used to suppressing election winners in the US Red Cross, are beginning to lose power.
Republicans in Texas have defended the law in the same way the GOP has used in more than a dozen other countries that have passed voting laws this year: calling the reforms a safe haven, while denying that they are driven by Trump’s false claims that he was missing out on widespread voting fraud.
After the bill was approved last Tuesday in the Senate, the incumbent was Lt. Gov. Republican Dan Patrick. A few days after last year’s election, Patrick presented a $ 1 million prize in support of Trump’s rhetoric about voting.
One of the notes sought to add that a person should be aware that he or she is voting illegally to be prosecuted. But even though it bought from the House, it was rejected by Senate negotiators when the money was finalized over the weekend.
Texas law prohibits people from paroleing, being tried or released from being controlled by voting. But both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have expressed their frustration over Crystal Mason, who was sentenced to five years in prison in 2018 in a temporary vote in the 2016 Presidential election when he was on probation. He also said he did not know that he was unfit to vote at the time.
His vote was temporarily uncounted, and his case has already been filed.
After the voting law expired, Parliament passed a resolution declaring that “a person should not be arrested for a felony criminal mischief.” It passes 119-4.
“You don’t have to be in prison for five years under this,” Republican Republican reporter said. Dustin Burrows said.
Texas already has some of the toughest laws in the country, and many of the most controversial changes going to Abbott are a hindrance to increasing the number of votes cast during the COVID-19 epidemic in the state of Texas, including Houston and are a major source of Democratic votes.
Last year, Harris County provided a 24-hour polling station with improved traffic, as well as attempts to send mail to the two million registered voters. All of this will now be banned by Abbott’s signature, and election officials who send ballot papers to voters who have not asked for one can be punished.
Republicans say stricter laws govern powers that local election observers have not previously had, while accusing opponents of exaggerating the crisis. He added that voting in the first two weeks of any vote in Texas should be open for one hour, and that some constituencies must have a 12-hour election.
Mason’s illegal arrest not only criticizes Democrats but also legitimate groups. In July, Hervis Rogers was arrested on a charge of illegal voting because he cast his vote in parole after waiting more than six hours for the 2020 presidential election.
The lawsuits attracted international attention and angered critics who saw Republicans’ desperate efforts to justify unfair voting issues. The Brennan Center for Justice in 2017 set a false threat at 0.00004% to 0.0009%, based on a recent election survey.
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Acacia Coronado is a member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a global nonprofit program that puts journalists in local chambers to cover what has happened.