Texas will approve new voting restrictions

Texas Republicans were willing to pass a new law that would tighten voting restrictions in America’s second most populous state, in the party’s latest aggressive action to limit access to ballot boxes nationwide.

The new Texas law would suppress postal, entry, and Sunday voting, reflecting the voting bands introduced by other Republican-controlled states, including Florida and Georgia, this year.

It would also make it easier for defeated candidates to contest election results through the courts, as former U.S. President Donald Trump tried unsuccessfully in the 2020 election against Joe Biden.

Texas law was passed by the Lone Star State Senate early Sunday after a tense overnight debate with Texas Democrats who strongly oppose the legislation. It is expected to be approved by the lower house of the Texas legislature later Sunday, before it is signed by Greg Abbott, the Republican governor who supports the bill.

On Saturday, Biden issued a scathing statement saying Texas law was attacking “the sacred right to vote” in the United States.

“It’s part of an assault on democracy that we’ve seen too often this year and that is often disproportionately directed against black and brown Americans,” the U.S. president said. “It is wrong and anti-American. In the 21st century, we should make it easier for all eligible voters to vote, no more difficult, ”he added.

Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, christened him “Jim Crow 2.0, simple and straightforward” in a tweet.

Democrats in Congress are trying to counter the Republican push to impose new voting limits by passing legislation at the federal level that bans certain restrictions and guarantees access to the polls. But while the legislation has passed the House, it is stalled in the Senate, where the Democratic majority is not big enough to evade Republican opposition and exceed the 60-out-of-100 vote threshold required to advance legislation.

Voting restrictions passed Georgia earlier this year it caused a rift between Republicans and American companies, where many large companies are under pressure from employees and the public to openly resist legislation that limits people’s ability to vote.

Tension has come to friction over the support of many Republican lawmakers for Trump’s effort to overthrow the Election results for 2020. But Texas law shows Republican lawmakers are betting that their traditional allies in the business community are unlikely to make a clean break with the party, as they still support many of its political goals, including low taxes and light regulation. .

Texas voting law was introduced as the traditionally deeply conservative state has gradually shifted to the left, with Democrats within reach of winning statewide contests again and forcing Republicans. to defend their advantage there.

While Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by a nine-point margin in 2016, she won Biden by six points in 2020. Texas has the second-largest delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the second-highest number of votes in presidential universities, making it a key award for both parties.

Texas Republicans, in addition to aggressively curbing votes, have also tried to limit them abortion rights as early as six weeks of pregnancy, while liberalizing gun laws to allow people to carry weapons with less control.