Thread by @texrising

THREAD: The #txlege is attempting to ram through one of the worst
voter suppression bills in the country – #SB9.

Let's try and unpack this bill and what's going down.

#stopSB9

Senate Bill 9 (or #SB9) is a GOP-backed proposal that makes
several dangerous changes to Texas election law. It is intentionally
confusing, and that is part of the strategy.

But SB9 has a clear goal – to make it more difficult and scary to
register to vote and cast a ballot. It is just another sad chapter in
Texas' long history of trying to make it harder to vote. Here a few
key facts:

Voters could be punished for innocent mistakes, such as incorrectly filling out
their voter registration form.

Voters have a right to a provisional ballot when they sincerely
believe they are eligible to vote, but this bill exposes them to
possible jail time for requesting one.

Those who drive voters to the polls and assist them while voting will
have to fill out burdensome new forms just to help people vote.

It allows partisan poll watchers to follow voters who need assistance
into the privacy of the voting booth and watch them have their ballots
marked.

It gives law enforcement complete legal immunity from prosecution for
committing election-related crimes, allowing law enforcement to
conduct undercover sting operations against community-based
organizations.

Individuals who are assisting voters or exercising their right to free
speech face new, confusing penalties for “impeding a walkway,
sidewalk, parking lot, or roadway” up to 500 feet from a polling
place, an area larger than a football field.

Attorney General Ken Paxton would be given direct access to the
electronic voter registration database, which includes Social Security
numbers, driver license numbers, and other personal information.

That is a lot of terrible 💩. But we can still stop the
bill. While it has already cleared the Senate, it now will now have a
committee hearing in the Texas House on Wednesday at 8 a.m. See what
you can do to help: tfn.org/stopsb9/