God help us.
Because if there’s another pandemic, they want to be able to force people to go vote in person. This time around they said fear of infection wasn’t a disability, but they had no way to enforce it because the current law makes no provision for proving your claimed disability.
Of course if Biden had somehow won Texas, I’m sure they’d have looked at every absentee vote in Houston to hound people…
It also limits in-person voting to a 12-hour period — between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. — a provision aimed at Harris County’s 24-hour vote centers.
I am curious what the legal defense will be. I can’t think of a non-discriminatory argument to defend not allowing in-person voting before 9am.
Equal rights! Since the rural counties can’t afford (or don’t need) 24-hour poll access, it’s an unconstitutional infringements on their rights if an urban county is allowed to have more hours of access.
And you need to allow for enough time to milk the cows and put them out to pasture before heading into town to vote…
Well, it’s nice to see our senate is hard at work protecting and fighting for democracy everywhere else but here.
Resolution condemning the military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in Burma and the Burmese military’s detention of civilian leaders, calling for an immediate and unconditional release of all those detained and for those elected to serve in parliament to resume their duties without impediment, and for other purposes.
Resolution reaffirming the strategic partnership between the United States and Mongolia and recognizing the 30th anniversary of democracy in Mongolia.
Resolution honoring Las Damas de Blanco, a women-led nonviolent movement in support of freedom and human rights in Cuba, and calling for the release of all political prisoners in Cuba.
Resolution recognizing the 200th anniversary of the independence of Greece and celebrating democracy in Greece and the United States.
Perhaps if we just wish and wish, and pray and pray, some day we, too, can have our senate focus on protecting our democracy.
And THIS is why they wanted the corporations to speak up LAST week…these fkers will make anything law to boost their white supremacist creds.
It’s kind of awe-inspiring that the GOP no longer cares that it’s impossible for anyone to miss their naked aggression toward democracy itself. Truly their last gasp. May they fail in utter ignominy.
The legislation bans drive-through voting
Does anyone else see this as inherently anti-American? Are we not the country that invented car hops, drive-thrus, and fast food? If the big 3 Auto Makers don’t throw a snit over this swipe at their place in American culture then I’ll keep buying my Hondas.
Voting rights should be issue #1 once the virus is under control. Republicans don’t want a Democracy, they want control.
This is true. It’s not the hippies that are the problem though, it’s the hipsters with their bespoke shoes and scented oiled beards.
The worst part of it is that Roberts entire explanation should it come before the SCOTUS will be 3 words.
“Post racial society” is what he’ll say as he allows these laws to stand and to disenfranchise millions of citizens in Texas (and anywhere else they pass laws like this).
I’m sure to top this they’ll allow people to try to void the 19th amendment next.
Why else do you think they openly associated with the Russian government and gave so much cover for Trump?
They wanted to get the down low on how to turn the US into a mirror image of Russia.
Apple, Samsung, Charles Schwab, and Tesla are all getting tax breaks from Travis County and/or Austin for huge campuses here. Schwab announced they were ceasing political donations after the Lincoln Project outed them, but they ought to be stepping up and condemning voter suppression.
Elon Musk, of course, is at one with our oligarchical overlords.
With higher prop taxes, Texas has had a windfall as a result. They’ll be blowing out deficits again before you know it though and heaven help any of the owners riding the prop value wave if they took a HELOC.
One thing conservative judges have been reluctant to do is to recognize a clear right of voters not to be burdened by arbitrary rules changes, especially when those rules changes don’t really serve a public policy purpose and are rooted more in gaming the system. They’re often dressed up as providing a standard for all counties, but in reality the disparate impact usually reveals the intent.
These changes, in reality, won’t do much to dissuade Dems from voting. Dems have grown their vote share substantially over the past 10 years. Many of the restrictions being codified now were actually in effect through court order for Harris County during the 2020 election. A record 11+ million people voted and Dems had their best performance in a Presidential race in TX since 1976. The GOP margin of about 5.5 points is very similar to the GOP margin in Georgia at the end of 2016 (about 5.1%). There’s a reasonable basis for Dems to think they can close that gap in 4 years, especially with Biden improving the Dem brand by delivering on COVID relief, vaccinations and (hopefully) infrastructure.
So this is some weak tea from the TX GOP that will just make Dems angrier. HR1/S1 would have a huge impact in TX because it’s a state that doesn’t really allow for no excuse absentee voting, and that bill would make it mandatory. Even if HR1/S1 doesn’t pass, these measures won’t stop Dems from continuing to increase their vote share.
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I hope so
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We need to make this true. This isn’t a show we’re watching, it’s a decision we’re making. Together. Keep calling your reps keep faxing the “moderates” and let them know that voting rights are a non partisan issue and if they can’t vote for HR1, they are not a moderate
Easy-peasy. Texas law currently allows three categories of people to vote by mail: (1) 65 and up, (2) disabled, and (3) people who are going to be out of the county of their residence on election day and every day of early in-person voting.
The wingnuts fucking hate mail voting now, right? It’s a plan of Satan birthed straight from the pits of Hell. So obviously, they want to restrict it, but only in ways that are more likely to hurt Dem voters.
Can’t take away mail votes from The Olds, because that’s the key Republican constituency. Can’t take it away from anybody out of the county for the better part of a month, because that indicates they’re wealthy enough to be staying at a second home or they’re military. But the cripples? They’re all on the dole, so obviously they’re going to vote Dem. So make 'em prove it before they can get a mail ballot.
It’s really that evil, and really that dumb.
it seeks to limit the number of people in the car with a voter who is using curbside voting.
WTF??
Swear to god - this is already the most voter suppressed state in the country. Now they are making it even harder to vote; our leaders froze 111 of us to death last winter - if Texans don’t make changes in leadership I give up. What else do they have to do to us to get thrown out?
All these people moving here - you find out right away that there are no services here. No health care. You are on your own.
This state could be a great place but instead it sucks.