Overnight and behind closed doors, Republicans in the Texas legislature have passed some of the most restrictive voting measures in the nation. The Washington Post writes:

The measure would make it illegal for election officials to send out unsolicited mail ballot applications, empower partisan poll watchers and ban practices such as drop boxes and drive-through voting that were popularized in heavily Democratic Harris County last year, according to a final draft distributed by legislative staff to voting right advocates Saturday morning.

In a last-minute addition, language was inserted in the bill making it easier to overturn an election, no longer requiring evidence that fraud actually altered an outcome of a race — but rather only that enough ballots were illegally cast that could have made a difference.

Republicans say the bill is designed to shore up voter trust, although there has been no evidence of voter fraud in the state.

Among the restrictions added in Texas:

No Sunday voting before 1pm, which is seen as a direct shot at the “Souls to the Polls” movement, where primarily Black voters were driven directly from church to vote on Sunday mornings.

“We’re going to be able to buy beer at 10 o’clock in the morning but we can’t vote until 1 p.m.”

– Texas State Senator Royce West (D-Dallas), questioning Republican plan to restrict early voting at the time Black churches lead "Souls to the Polls"https://t.co/60sF7jY3zC

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 30, 2021

Also changing, according to the New York Times, many provisions that made it easier to vote in 2020, especially in large urban areas like Houston:

In addition to banning drive-through voting and 24-hour voting, which were used by nearly 140,000 voters in Harris County during the 2020 election, the bill would prohibit election officials from sending absentee ballots to all voters, regardless of whether they had requested them; ban using tents, garages, mobile units or any temporary structure as a polling location; further limit who could vote absentee; and add new identification requirements for voting by mail.

The President condemned the legislature’s actions.

Biden: "Texas legislators put forth a bill that joins Georgia & Florida in advancing a state law that attacks the sacred right to vote. It's part of an assault on democracy that we've seen far too often this year—and often disproportionately targeting Black and Brown Americans."

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 29, 2021

An official with the ACLU in Texas told the Times it is a “ruthless piece of legislation.”

“It targets voters of color and voters with disabilities, in a state that’s already the most difficult place to vote in the country.”

Sarah Labowitz, ACLU of Texas

For more coverage of this story, please read:

The Texas Tribune

Politico

Dallas News