Voting rights have always been central to the League’s mission. This May, our members voted to take a deeper look at voting rights as one of its key priorities. The League's approach involves two equally important efforts focused on informing and supporting our members as well as all voters. First, we will assist our members and the community to understand the impact of new legislation passed by the Texas Legislature or the U.S. Congress.
Unless a special session is called by the Governor, the Texas Legislative session has concluded. Below is the status of some of the election bills that were filed this session.
SB 985 passed and is waiting for the governor’s signature. SB 985 addressed local concerns arising from a well-intentioned effort in 2023 that produced unintended consequences. It required more polling locations than some counties could afford to equip.
The following bills did not pass, however, the issues they present will need to be watched, as they may reappear in two years:
-
SB 16, which would require voters to present a birth certificate or passport to register to vote, died in the Calendars Committee. Texas already has a robust voter certification process.
-
HB 1128, which would allow certain poll workers to carry concealed weapons, was never heard by the Senate.
-
SB 396, which would jeopardize voters who did not vote in the 25 months previous to Nov. 30 of any year, did not reach the House for a vote.
At the national level, the S.A.V.E. Act, HR 22, which Texas’s SB 16 imitated, has passed the US House and is still before the Senate. The S.A.V.E. Act could change how and what documents are needed to register to vote. This Act is likely to confuse, disenfranchise some voters, and reduce election turnout.
Documenting how new laws will force voters to change their behaviors should help us all to be better prepared to protect and exercise our voting rights in the future. The League expects to produce one or more short and direct fact sheets to summarize such changes.
The League’s second effort will involve digging deeper into several voting issues to help us take part in future discussions regarding changes to voting rules and procedures. Some of the topics under consideration for this effort include:
-
The staffing and funding of county voting offices. Could we gain ideas from the experiences of other similar Texas counties that might benefit Bexar County? How prevalent is voter fraud? Fraud has been the stated reason for many recent changes in the voting laws, but is it real? Looking at existing studies and using other publicly available data, we will try to move beyond the allegations of fraud to actual charged cases and convictions.
-
Voting rules and procedures in states comparable to Texas. To illuminate the differences between liberal and conservative governance, California, Florida, and Illinois seem likely candidates for our research.
-
Voting discrimination. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Shelby County v. Holder, struck down the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act. What changes have states made in their laws that might infringe on the ability of some voters to exercise their voting rights?
-
Primary election voting. Primary elections tend to be very low turnout events in Texas. What are the results of such a low turnout? What might be done to improve participation?
This is an ambitious agenda. To date, we have five members of the Program and Advocacy Committee who have volunteered to work on the project. We need your help! Volunteer!
Contact: program@LWVSA.org.