Greg Abbott didn’t call special session after 23 murdered by white supremacist in El Paso or after 700 died when power grid failed but GOP holding special session to make it harder to vote after finding only 16 false addresses on registration forms out of 11 million votes in 2020
Texas already hardest state to vote in. GOP voter suppression bill would make far worse
“This election bill would take it to a place so far removed from democracy it would beg the question: What kind of form of government would we have?” says @BetoORourke motherjones.com/politics/2021/…
This is how voter suppression works in Texas:
-can vote with gun permit but not student ID
-no online voter registration
-must be deputized to register voters
-voters under 65 can’t use fear of covid to vote by mail
-750 polling places closed since SCOTUS gutted VRA
Dems running out of time to pass federal legislation protecting voting rights
“It’s matter of weeks or maybe a couple of months that are left to us before it becomes hard to preserve free & fair elections in 2022 election cycle throughout much of the country” says @BetoORourke
Texas GOP killed two-thirds requirement to bring up bills in state senate to pass voter ID law in 2011
But Senate Dems won’t eliminate 60 vote requirement to pass voting rights bills
"There has been an asymmetry in terms of tactics" says @RafaelAnchia
DNC spending $25 million to expand voting is important but Biden must advocate reforming filibuster to pass voting rights bills
“There seems to be some hesitation to pull out all the stops to protect our right to vote,” says @RafaelAnchia. “In Texas, we can’t wait much longer.”
"Texas is toughest state in country to vote in. You can vote with a gun permit but not a student ID. They closed 750 polling places since Supreme Court gutted Voting Rights Act...Now they're making voting even tougher" @NicolleDWallace @DeadlineWH
Texas has 3 MILLION unregistered voters, larger than total population of 17 states
Dems estimate 2 million would vote D if registered, enough to flip state blue
Policies like automatic voter registration included in For the People Act would be game-changer in Texas
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