In a special session held over the weekend, Texas Republicans advanced two controversial elections bills that would impose restrictions at the ballot box, The Hill reported on Sunday.
Republicans managed to advance two bills out of committees that call for banning 24-hour-voting and getting rid of drive-through voting.
These two techniques were both used in last year’s election, according to The Washington Post, to make it easier for state residents to safely vote during the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas legislators returned to the state Capitol last week for the special session in order to work on bills that are the priority of the Republican majority, including significant reforms of the elections rules in Texas.
This move was organized after Democrats staged a walkout in May on the last night of the legislative session in order to prevent the passage of a bill that they say seeks to add obstacles to voting.
In a further attempt to stop the current proposed legislation from becoming law, Democrats are considering leaving the state in an escalation of their walkout tactic in May.
Sources familiar with discussions about those Democratic Party plan told The New York Times they hope additional such demonstrative methods could help bring a spotlight on the issue of voting rights in Texas and increase the pressure on Democrats in the U.S. Senate to pass reforms on voting rights that would cancel out the attempts by GOP-led state legislatures to enact their changes.
In addition to Texas, other states with a Republican majority in their legislature are trying to push through sweeping elections reforms, with Arizona, Florida and Georgia already having done so.
The Department of Justice is suing Georgia over its election bill, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced last month.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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