AUSTIN, Texas — Thirteen state senators have filed a senate bill — SB 7 — that would ban 24-hour voting, eliminate drive-thru voting, reduce early voting hours, and prevent counties from using stadiums and convention centers as polling places. The bill also cruelly targets voters with disabilities or those who need assistance to vote by imposing new burdensome and unnecessary requirements.
The following quote can be attributed to Tommy Buser-Clancy, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Texas:
“Texas saw record-breaking voter turnout in the 2020 election. Yet, instead of finding ways to continue to increase voting access, some legislators want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Under the false specter of voter fraud, SB 7 will make voting in Texas even harder for all Texans. Even worse, the bill targets our most vulnerable communities, making it harder for people with disabilities to vote by mail. “Without justification, Senate Bill 7 reduces early voting hours and would prevent counties from using convention centers to host voters. It also bans 24-hour voting — after it proved wildly successful, particularly with respect to accommodating first responders and front line workers. It also allows poll watchers to videotape people at the polls, trampling on privacy rights. Legislators should be listening to Texans and making voting easier, instead they’re letting outside influences reduce our voting rights. We will not let them.”