SAN ANTONIO — Expect some changes the next time you cast a vote.
Governor Greg Abbott is expected to sign Senate Bill 1 into law after legislators advanced the measure on Tuesday.
The controversial bill, which seeks to tighten voting rules across Texas, prompted special sessions and Democrats to flee to Washington D.C.
On the Texas House’s passage of Senate Bill 1, Abbott said in a statement that "protecting the integrity of our elections is critical in the state of Texas, which is why I made election integrity an emergency item during the 87th Legislative Session.”
However, to Cinde Weatherby, a voting rights and election law coordinator for the non-partisan League of Women Voters, nothing constituted making the legislation a priority.
“The League of Women Voters and many, many others don’t believe that they were necessary. They still are not something that our state really requires at this point in time,” Weatherby said.
Weatherby characterizes the bill as an attack on voting rights.
“When I say attack, I’m not talking about my views versus your views,” she said. “I’m talking about taking a process and make it more difficult for other people to use, for all people to use.”
Critics of the bill point to the criminal penalties for election officials and elimination of drive-thru and 24-hour voting, saying those measures will lead to fewer people overall casting ballots. Weatherby said making the process to apply for a mail-in ballot more complicated will have a negative effect on older voters.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at an application for requesting a mail-in ballot, but it’s in about six-point type,” she said. “Everyone 65 or older is eligible to request a ballot by mail. Not everyone 65 or older can read that kind of small type.”
Weatherby said that, through their efforts, the League of Women Voters of Texas was able to mitigate some of the more restrictive measures from the original bill. They were able to eliminate a provision allowing partisan poll-watchers to shoot videos of voters, and one requiring people assisting voters with disabilities or language barriers to show a valid voter ID of their own.
The organization also pushed to expand early voting hours on Sundays, which would have otherwise impeded the “Souls to the Polls” program popular with predominantly Black churches.
“This final version of the bill that was passed and sent to the governor’s desk provides for early voting from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday,” Weatherby said. “That’s a big improvement compared to what was originally proposed.”
She added there are at least a few positive measures in the legislation, however, like requiring poll-watchers to complete training from the Secretary of State's Office, providing protections for disabled voters and allowing mail-in voters the chance to correct errors on their ballot using an electronic tracking system.
“When it gets received by the county, then they can contact the voter and let them use that electronic mail ballot-tracking system to let them ‘cure’ their ballot,” Weatherby said. “Then they would be assured their ballot would be counted.”
Weatherby said she’s hopeful people will have a renewed energy about voting and that the League of Women Voters will be there to help.
“I’m betting on the Texas voters to show up this time, the next time and the next time after that in growing numbers,” she said.
Anyone interested in the changes the League of Women Voters advocated for can find more information on their website.