For Democrats of color, walkout on Texas voting bill was rooted in the long fight for equal voting rights
All they could get was a temporary win. But the lawmakers said taking the extraordinary measure of breaking quorum was justified by the harm they felt their mostly Black and Hispanic constituents would face under the GOP's voting bill.
Here's how Texas elections would change, and become more restrictive, under the bill Texas Republicans are pushing
Restrictions on Texas voting could tighten under Republican bill advanced by Senate committee
Senate Bill 7 โ one of Texas Republicansโ priority elections bills โ would limit extended early voting hours, prohibit drive-thru voting and allow partisan poll watchers to record voters who receive help filling out their ballots. It would also forbid local election officials from encouraging voters to fill out applications to vote by mail, even if they qualify. Texans would also have to provide proof of disability to qualify for mail-in voting under the bill. SB 7, which was offered under the banner of โelection integrity,โ sailed out of the Republican-dominated Senate State Affairs Committee on a party-line vote. The bill was also widely panned as detrimental to local efforts that would widen access to voting, particularly extended early voting hours and drive-thru voting offered in Harris County in November.