New GOP efforts to make it harder to vote

[essentialsaltes]

After a contentious debate that stretched into early Friday, Republicans in the Texas House advanced a bill to tighten voting restrictions, joining a number of GOP-controlled states that have moved to impose new obstacles to voting since the 2020 presidential election.

The state Senate had already passed a similar bill and the two chambers now need to agree on a final version before the legislation can go to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. The House bill takes aim at the sending out of unsolicited vote-by-mail applications and gives new access to partisan poll watchers, among other measures.

Critics have accused the Republican legislatures of disenfranchising minorities and buying into President Donald Trump’s baseless claims about fraud during the 2020 election. Proponents say the laws support election integrity and will help restore voters’ trust.

Rep. Chris Turner (D) emphasized that the Texas attorney general’s office found only 16 instances of fraud in the last election among more than 11 million votes, despite dedicating significant staff time to looking for irregularities.

“Is this bill simply a part and continuation of the ‘big lie’ perpetrated by Donald Trump?” Turner asked.

“This bill is not about 2020. … This bill is not a response to 2020,” [supporter] Cain said [unconvincingly].

 

[essentialsaltes]

At least 19 states passed 34 laws that restrict voting in some way in the last year, analysis shows

As a likely showdown looms in Congress this week over federal voting legislation, Republicans aligned with former President Trump are pressing ahead at the state level to change voting procedures, conduct partisan investigations of the last presidential contest and seize more control over the machinery of elections.

Brennan Center report

New Restrictive Laws
EFFECT ON VOTING BILL NUMBERS
Shorten window to apply for a mail ballot AL H.B. 538, AR S.B. 643, GA S.B. 202, IA S.F. 413, KY H.B. 574, NY S.B. 264, OK H.B. 2663
Shorten deadline to deliver mail ballot AR S.B. 643, IA S.F. 413
Make it harder to remain on absentee voting lists AZ S.B. 1485, FL S.B. 90
Eliminate or limit sending mail ballot applications to voters who do not specifically request them GA S.B. 202, IA S.F. 413, KS H.B. 2332, TX S.B. 1
Eliminate or limit sending mail ballots to voters who do not specifically request them FL S.B. 90
Restrict assistance in returning a voter’s mail ballot AR H.B. 1715, FL S.B. 90, IA S.F. 413, IA S.F. 568, KS H.B. 2183, KY H.B. 574, MT H.B. 530, TX S.B. 1
Limit the number, location, or availability of mail ballot drop boxes FL S.B. 90, GA S.B. 202, IA S.F. 413, IN S.B. 398
Impose stricter signature requirements for mail ballots AZ S.B. 1003, ID H.B. 290, KS H.B. 2183, TX S.B. 1
Impose harsher voter ID requirements AR H.B. 1112, AR H.B. 1244, FL S.B. 90, GA S.B. 202, MT S.B. 169, NH H.B. 523, TX S.B. 1, WY H.B. 75
Expand voter purges or risk faulty voter purges AZ S.B. 1819, IA S.F. 413, KY H.B. 574, LA H.B. 167, NH S.B. 31, TX S.B. 1111, UT H.B. 12
Increase barriers for voters with disabilities AL H.B. 285, IA S.F. 568, TX H.B. 3920, TX S.B. 1
Ban snacks and water to voters waiting in line FL S.B. 90, GA S.B. 202
Make voter registration more difficult IA S.F. 413, FL S.B. 90, KS H.B. 2332, MT S.B. 169, MT H.B. 176, MT S.B. 319, NH S.B. 523, TX S.B. 1111
Reduce polling place availability (locations or hours) IA S.F. 413, MT S.B. 196, TX S.B. 1
Increase number of voters per precinct NV S.B. 84
Limit early voting days or hours GA S.B. 202, IA S.F. 413, TX S.B. 1


[And more laws to come.]

4. Partisan Election Reviews
A disturbing legislative trend from 2021 is the launching of illegitimate partisan reviews of election results in a number of key states.

Now, legislators in five states (FL, MO, NH, SC, and TN) have pre-filed seven bills for 2022 footnote16_0dl815e16 to initiate or allow similar partisan reviews of election results. Five of these bills would initiate reviews of the 2020 election, and two of them would set up processes for partisan reviews of future elections.

Make elections as restrictive as you like. But we should have one result, determined by the laws of the state and executed in as nonpartisan a fashion as possible, with built in official audits. Adding after the fact partisan 'reviews' (such as in AZ) just clouds the issue. Even when nothing was found, it has been spun up to be something in the minds of some partisans.

 

[rambot]

Banning the distribution of snacks and water to people waiting for 6hrs to vote is simply dastardly and unnecessary.

 

[parousia70]

This has been a longstanding Republican Position. They absolutely do not want every elegible voter to vote, as that would ensure Rebublican defeat for generations to come.
Thye have long understood that "Quite frankly, Our leverage in the elections goes up as the voting populace gows down"

 

[Nithavela]

Banning the distribution of snacks and water to people waiting for 6hrs to vote is simply dastardly and unnecessary.

Can't they bring their own?

 

[Subduction Zone]

Can't they bring their own?

There is no excuse for a 6 hour long line to vote. That in itself is a form of a poll tax on the poor. The poor are those that can least afford to take time off of work to vote. And for some strange reason the longest lines tend to be in the poorest areas.

Why Do Nonwhite Georgia Voters Have To Wait In Line For Hours? Too Few Polling Places

The clogged polling locations in metro Atlanta reflect an underlying pattern: the number of places to vote has shrunk statewide, with little recourse. Although the reduction in polling places has taken place across racial lines, it has primarily caused long lines in nonwhite neighborhoods where voter registration has surged and more residents cast ballots in person on Election Day.

 

[rambot]

Can't they bring their own?

I don't think people should expect to spend 6hrs in line to vote.

They are not going for a hike.

 

[Nithavela]

I don't think people should expect to spend 6hrs in line to vote.

They are not going for a hike.

There is no excuse for a 6 hour long line to vote. That in itself is a form of a poll tax on the poor. The poor are those that can least afford to take time off of work to vote. And for some strange reason the longest lines tend to be in the poorest areas.

Why Do Nonwhite Georgia Voters Have To Wait In Line For Hours? Too Few Polling Places

The clogged polling locations in metro Atlanta reflect an underlying pattern: the number of places to vote has shrunk statewide, with little recourse. Although the reduction in polling places has taken place across racial lines, it has primarily caused long lines in nonwhite neighborhoods where voter registration has surged and more residents cast ballots in person on Election Day.

Sounds like your battle should be with the wait times, not with the dispensation of water and food.

I doubt that even the most conservative voters on this forums would opine that there should be 6 hour wait times.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Sounds like your battle should be with the wait times, not with the dispensation of water and food.

Since the state will not fix one problem why should they ban help to those in line?

This is not a problem that I face, my state has mail in ballot only. It works fine. It is at least as secure as vote in person. Why punish the poor? Can you give a good reason for doing that?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Sounds like your battle should be with the wait times, not with the dispensation of water and food.

I wonder who's in charge of that?

Reduce polling place availability (locations or hours) IA S.F. 413, MT S.B. 196, TX S.B. 1

 

[rambot]

Sounds like your battle should be with the wait times, not with the dispensation of water and food.

I doubt that even the most conservative voters on this forums would opine that there should be 6 hour wait times.

I agree that that is the BIG battle. The closure of polling stations in poorer districts is consistently an issue but one that keeps getting ignored.
Of COURSE they would. I don't think you've grasped the disdain conservatives have for lying democrat poor people who deserve to have to wait because they can't be trusted. This information has been presented numerous times and they seem totally apathetic about it.

 

[Nithavela]

Since the state will not fix one problem why should they ban help to those in line?

This is not a problem that I face, my state has mail in ballot only. It works fine. It is at least as secure as vote in person. Why punish the poor? Can you give a good reason for doing that?

I can give you a lot of reasons that would seem good for some people.

 

[Nithavela]

I agree that that is the BIG battle. The closure of polling stations in poorer districts is consistently an issue but one that keeps getting ignored.
Of COURSE they would. I don't think you've grasped the disdain conservatives have for lying democrat poor people who deserve to have to wait because they can't be trusted. This information has been presented numerous times and they seem totally apathetic about it.

I'm not saying they don't think so. Just that they wouldn't voice their opinion.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I can give you a lot of reasons that would seem good for some people.

I doubt if any of them are valid. Yes, these changes keep the "wrong people" from voting. That is not a valid reason.

 

[Nithavela]

I doubt if any of them are valid. Yes, these changes keep the "wrong people" from voting. That is not a valid reason.

"Valid" is always subjective.

 

[Subduction Zone]

"Valid" is always subjective.

Not really. We do have the Constitution to help us in those matters.

 

[mark46]

Sounds like your battle should be with the wait times, not with the dispensation of water and food.

I doubt that even the most conservative voters on this forums would opine that there should be 6 hour wait times.

I think that you are wrong.

Republicans across the spectrum support the Texas laws that result in 6 hour wait time in many black districts and 6 minute wait line in many white districts.
===============
Let us be very clear. If there were 6 minute waiting lines in all polling places in the US, our politics would be a lot different. For example, GA, FL and TX would be solidly Democratic states.

For example, GA laws (and lawmakers) are clear. The laws need to be changed to change the travesty of a Democratic vote for Biden and 2 Democratic senators. Given how many Democratic voters have been expunged from the voting rolls over the past 5 years, that is truly impressive.

 

[FireDragon76]

This has been a longstanding Republican Position. They absolutely do not want every elegible voter to vote, as that would ensure Rebublican defeat for generations to come.
Thye have long understood that "Quite frankly, Our leverage in the elections goes up as the voting populace gows down"

Weyrich was a Neo-Conservative and this attitude is drawn straight from their political philosophy, which is built upon getting people to believe a "Noble Myth" or a "Big Lie" like "Freedom" or "Democracy", all the while the real way their vision of government works is quite different.

 

[essentialsaltes]

LINK
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office spent 22,000 hours looking for voter fraud and uncovered just 16 cases of false addresses on registration forms, according to The Houston Chronicle.
More than two dozen GOP-sponsored elections bills are under consideration in the [Texas] Legislature as lawmakers seek to tighten ID requirements and voter rolls, limit early voting and up the penalties for errors.

Hundreds of mail-in ballot applications are being rejected under Texas’ new voting rules

Election officials in some of the state’s largest counties are rejecting an alarming number of mail-in applications because they don’t meet the state’s new identification requirements. Some applications are being rejected because of a mismatch between the new identification requirements and the data the state has on file to verify voters.

Under Texas’ new voting law, absentee voters must include their driver’s license number or state ID number or, if they don’t have one, the last four digits of their Social Security number on their applications. If they don’t have those IDs, voters can indicate they have not been issued that identification. Counties must match those numbers against the information in an individual’s voter file to approve them for a mail-in ballot.

[Many of these rejections are because the state does not have the data on file.]

Throughout last year’s protracted debate over the new voting law, state lawmakers were warned about potential issues that could arise from the new ID matching requirements, in part because the state does not have both a driver’s license and Social Security number for all of the roughly 17 million Texans on the voter rolls. Voters are not required to provide both numbers when they register to vote.

 

[Aldebaran]

Banning the distribution of snacks and water to people waiting for 6hrs to vote is simply dastardly and unnecessary.

Especially when it could be handed out by campaign groups for one of the people on the ballot!