Blog
September 24, 2021
TARA Continues Fight for Voter Rights
On September 7, 2021, Texas Alliance for Retired Americans and allied advocacy groups sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other state officials to block SB 1, which would impose severe new restrictions on the voting rights of Texans, effective December 2.. Here is a quick rundown of what is at stake for TARA members and all Texas voters in this lawsuit:
–The law limits early voting hours, cuts local options for casting ballots, restricts mail-in voting, and allows partisan poll watchers unprecedented access to polling places. Each of these provisions is designed to prevent Texas voters from casting a ballot, with disproportionate impact on older voters and people of color.
–The new bill’s restrictions would tighten what are already some of America’s most restrictive voting rules. Texas consistently ranks among the lowest states in the nation for voter turnout–a direct result of an ongoing campaign by state officials to limit access to the franchise.
–These laws are in direct conflict with our constitutional rights of free, fair, equitable access to the voting booth for all eligible voters. State officials should be making it easier for voters to cast a ballot, not more difficult.
–SB 1 would make it much more difficult for Texas seniors to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Seniors rely on early voting and mail ballots to vote without standing in long lines on Election Day. Many older Texans also have physical limitations and may decide not to vote out of fear of intimidation or harassment at the polls.
–The additional obstacles that SB 1 imposes on voters seeking assistance, and on individuals who assist voters, makes it more difficult for elderly voters, voters with disabilities, and voters with limited language proficiency to participate in the political process.
-In a nutshell: The lawsuit asks the federal district court in the Western District of Texas to bar state officials from imposing the new restrictions on voting because they violate federal constitutional guarantees as well as the federal Voting Rights Act. Violations as cited in the lawsuit include:
a. Criminalizes efforts by public officials to encourage voters to submit absentee ballot applications;
b. Imposes additional burdens on absentee voters by effectively eliminating ballot drop boxes;
c. Eliminates drive-thru voting;
d. Creates additional obstacles for voters to receive assistance at the polls or in completing and submitting absentee ballots;
e. Limits early voting hours; and
f. Empowers partisan poll watchers to employ voter intimidation tactics by granting them increased freedom in the polling place and limiting the oversight power of election workers.