Last week it was Georgia.
This week it’s Texas.
Yesterday, Texas Republicans rammed a voter suppression bill through the state Senate.
If passed by the Texas House and signed by Trumpist Governor Greg Abbott — which is likely — this bill would make it significantly harder to vote in the Lone Star State, especially for people of color.
Which is exactly what Texas Republicans intend.
This anti-democratic, racist bill would:
- Drastically reduce expanded voting hours, making it tougher for many eligible voters, including working people, to get to the polls.
- For example, in Harris County — home of Houston, the state’s largest city — 56% of those who cast a ballot during expanded nighttime hours last fall were Latino, Black, or Asian.
- Prevent polling places that serve densely populated urban areas from having more voting machines than those in sparsely populated rural areas, which is almost certain to create long lines and discourage voters in cities.
- Eliminate drive-thru voting. You can buy alcohol and guns right from your car all over Texas. But voting from your car is unacceptable to state Republicans.
- Allow so-called “poll watchers” — operatives loyal to a specific candidate or party — to actually film people voting, which could intimidate countless potential voters.
Republicans are now pushing some 361 voter suppression bills in 47 states.
That’s because — as Senator Ted Cruz himself recently admitted — if we had true democracy, Republicans would basically never win another election.
And rather than trying to appeal to more Americans, the Republican Party has instead chosen to cling to power by opposing the very concept of democracy itself.
Tell Texas legislators and Governor Greg Abbott:
Only losers have to cheat to win. Drop these flagrantly anti-democratic, Jim crow-style voter suppression laws. Make it easier, not harder, for Texans to vote. Try coming up with some policy positions that people actually agree with. And stop stonewalling our democracy.
Add your name.
One other thing: Public Citizen is a nonpartisan organization. Throughout our 50-year history, we have worked on important issues with elected officials from both major parties. And we still do — when possible. But being nonpartisan does not mean burying our head in the sand. When one party engages in consistent, persistent efforts to deprive people of color of the right to vote — when it in fact makes voter suppression a core organizing principle — we have to speak out. We all do.
Thanks for taking action.
For democracy,
- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
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