Here's how the new Texas voting bill will affect access to the polls
Texas is poised to enact a wide-ranging elections bill with new voting restrictions that opponents say will make it harder to cast ballots and administer elections in the state.
-snip-
What voting restrictions does the measure impose?
The bill targets several methods of voting that were implemented in Texas during the pandemic to help people cast ballots safely. It prohibits drive-through and 24-hour voting — popular in Harris County, home to the Democratic stronghold of Houston — that were disproportionately used by voters of color, local officials said. It also places limits on mail voting, making it a felony for election officials to distribute mail ballot applications unless voters ask for them. “Solicit[ing] the submission of an application to vote by mail” is a felony under the bill.
The legislation could make it harder to vote for people who have disabilities or need translation help to vote, advocates for those groups say. Specifically, the measure creates new rules and penalties for people who assist others as they fill out a registration form or cast a ballot. Those people will now have to complete paperwork and swear a lengthy oath on penalty of perjury that they are following the rules. Opponents of the bill have argued this will create a chilling effect on the process and expose people to penalties for unintended missteps.
-snip-
One section that has prompted substantial debate relates to partisan poll watchers. Though they have to receive a training program before they can begin their work, the bill gives new powers to such observers, allowing them to “sit or stand near enough to see and hear the election officers conducting the observed activity” and preventing others from denying them “free movement.” The poll watchers have to swear an oath that they will not disrupt voting or “harass” voters, but advocates have raised concerns about whether there are enough limits to ensure they abide by that promise.
-more-
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/heres-how-the-new-texas-voting-bill-will-affect-access-to-the-polls/ar-AANWGLB
= new reply since forum marked as read
