An article by Caro Dubois, Austin, Texas
Texas Voter Suppression
Did you have trouble voting by mail? Or voting in person? Blame Texas' new election law!
Texas has a new voting law because of the passing of Senate Bill 1 in 2021. The League of Women Voters of Texas has been gathering stories from Texas voters about their experience voting in the Texas Primary Election on March 1st, 2022.
It's a tragedy for our democracy when our state leaders choose to support a partisan agenda instead of the voters of Texas when writing state election law resulting in a massive rejection of vote-by-mail ballots. The federal Voting Rights Act must be restored to ensure that every voter in Texas has equal access to the ballot box and is protected from unfair laws and practices that make it harder for people to vote.
“For democracy to work, it must include all voices. SB 1 is an extremist anti-voter bill that raises even more barriers to voting and specifically targets vulnerable communities, especially voters with disabilities, voters of color, and elderly voters,” said Grace Chimene, president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. “SB 1 is a violation of our freedom to vote, and we will continue to fight every attempt to silence Texas voters.”
There are various stories of voter suppression in Texas:
- being purged from the voting rolls between January and March of 2022,
- receiving a letter from the Secretary of State stating a mail-in ballot was rejected and to go vote in person, when the mail-in had already been corrected, and
- assistance at the poll for a disabled person being rejected and for the person to struggle with the voting machine.
The League of Women Voters of Texas is collecting stories of voter suppression during the March 1 Primary Election. To submit your story, click here: https://bit.ly/lwv-stories.
The Legal Work
The League is at the forefront of the most important federal and state cases across the United States. Our legal team works tirelessly to oppose all forms of voter suppression, including: Discriminatory voter ID laws; Attacks on voter registration; Last-minute Election Day barriers; The elimination of voting locations in underserved communities; Unjust voter purges; and Attempts to limit access to early and mail-in voting.
Advocating to End Voter Suppression
The LWV supports legislation that empowers Americans to participate in the voting process. These include:
The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act: This bill would expand voting rights by expanding early voting and same-day and online registration, creating standards for upholding voter rolls, and authorizing voter registration at new-citizen naturalization ceremonies.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: This crucial piece of legislation would protect voters from discrimination and restore components of the Voting Rights Act.
Help the League carry out its mission of empowering voters and defending democracy in Texas.