WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th September, 2021) Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed a Republican-backed election integrity bill into law that Democrats view as an effort to restrict voting rights.
"Proud to sign Senate Bill 1 into law, which will uphold the integrity of our elections in Texas," Abbott said via Twitter. "This law will make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in the Lone Star State."
Democrats in the Texas legislature twice denied Republicans a quorum to pass the bill but ultimately failed to keep the measure from being adopted after Abbott called for a special session to convene and threatened to arrest lawmakers who were absent.
The Republican legislation will limit early voting hours, ban drive-through voting, further restrict voting by mail, ban public officials from sending unsolicited absentee ballot applications, make it easier to overturn an election based on fraud allegations and provide poll watchers more access where election activity takes place.
Texas is one of 48 US states that have introduced or proposed 408 voter bills. So far, 25 have been signed into law.
Democrats believe the bill will suppress votes from Black and Hispanic voters in their districts. The new Texas election bill has been compared to racially discriminatory laws that existed in the United States during the 20th Century.
