Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes speaks at the Texas State Capitol on March 31, 2021.
The Republican-led Texas Senate passed a bill related to election integrity Thursday morning (April 1). Under the bill, Texas would ban the use of mail-in ballot boxes and most voting by drive-through stations. These voting methods were controversial during the Nov. 3 general election.
The bill has passed the Texas Senate by a margin of 18-13 along party lines and will now be sent to the Texas House for a vote. Related hearings in the Texas Legislature are also scheduled for Tuesday, April 6, when the Legislature meets.
Republican Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes said, “Because we want the people of Texas to have confidence in the fairness, honesty and openness of elections, we’ve taken care of the process that can be exploited by unscrupulous participants in the election process.” He added that the legislation “regulates and clarifies” voting rules so “every Texan has a fair and equal opportunity to vote, regardless of where they live in the state.”
The bill would also require voters with disabilities to prove they are unable to vote in person in order to be eligible to vote by mail. In addition, any Texan who donates private funds to the elections department, over $1,000, would need to get permission from the state’s top leaders.
The state already requires voters to provide a reason for using a vote-by-mail ballot, including those 65 or older with a medical condition or disability, or those who are incarcerated or absent from the United States during an election.
Texas Democrats have accused Senate Republicans of what they call “voter suppression. And Democrats in the state tried to expand vote-by-mail during the Communist virus pandemic and filed a lawsuit against the state government. They argued that because the coronavirus (CCP virus) causes disease, it was a health threat to voters who lacked immunity (if they didn’t use mail-in ballots).
However, the Texas Supreme Court ultimately rejected the Democrats’ argument and stated that lack of immunity does not constitute a physical disability and therefore does not require the use of vote by mail.
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