Texas Passes Controversial Election Law: Fewer Chances to Vote

After Florida, Arizona, and Georgia, among other states, the Texas legislature has now also approved a controversial amendment to election law. Among other things, mail voting is becoming more difficult in the southern state. Polling stations that are open around the clock will also be banned, as will voting from the car. Texas Republican Governor Abbott said he would sign the bill soon.

Recently, the new law was passed, which is an initiative of the Republicans a lot of criticism. Democrats and civil rights activists fear that voting will become more difficult for certain groups. On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets in Washington, D.C. to protest the new rules.

Opponents say black voters are particularly affected by the amendment. For example, for voting by mail, which is already subject to strict rules in Texas, additional identification rules apply in the new law, which many African Americans cannot comply with.

Voting after church

The new law in Texas is also slightly less restrictive than originally intended. For example, the first proposal included not allowing residents to vote after a church service, the so-called “souls at the polls”. Many black Americans often vote together after going to church. The ban on this was lifted in the final invoice.

Earlier this year, reporter Lucas Wagmeister reported on “souls to the polls” in Georgia, where stricter voting rules were introduced in March. Voting was also banned after church services there in the end no: