Texas Republicans have advanced a bill that restricts voting in the Lone Star State. The bill passed the state senate on April Fools’ Day. Sadly, it isn’t a joke.
According to the Texas Tribune:
In an overnight vote after more than seven hours of debate, the Texas Senate signed off on Senate Bill 7, which would limit extended early voting hours, prohibit drive-thru voting and make it illegal for local election officials to proactively send applications to vote by mail to voters, even if they qualify.
The legislation is at the forefront of Texas Republicans’ crusade to further restrict voting in the state after last year’s election. Although Republicans remain in full control of state government, Texas saw the highest turnout in decades in 2020, with Democrats continuing to drive up their vote counts in the state’s urban centers and diversifying suburban communities.
The news in Texas is part of a concerted national effort on the part of Republican lawmakers to restrict voting after record or near-record turnout in a number of states last November.
Last week, we reported how Georgia’s new voter suppression law makes it illegal to give water to voters waiting in line. That law is being compared to Jim Crow. The restrictions come only after President Biden became the first Democrat in a quarter-century to carry the Peach State.
Image Credit: Kyle Bell