Judge gives Texas 1 week to fix violation of U.S. motor-voter law
A federal judge has given state officials one week to create a plan to allow Texans to automatically register to vote when they go online to obtain or renew a driver’s license.
U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia last month issued a one-page ruling warning state officials that Texas’ online practices violate the “motor voter” provisions of the National Voter Registration Act, enacted in 1993 to increase voter participation by simplifying the registration process.
On Friday, Garcia released a 61-page opinion explaining his conclusions and why, without the need for a trial, he sided with a civil rights group that sued Texas on the issue.
Federal law requires the Texas Department of Public Safety to give Texans the chance to register to vote — or to update voting records to reflect a change of address — when they renew, update or obtain a driver’s license, the San Antonio judge wrote.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/judge-gives-texas-week-fix-violation-motor-voter-law/1MdxqkhmzafactNdst3olJ/