© 2024 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Texas House Passes New Voting Restrictions In Party-Line Vote, Advancing GOP Priority Legislation

Ways To Subscribe
A New York State Secure Ballot Dropbox sits outside the James A. Farley U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Post Office as New York State and New York City legislators held a rally for their new legislation that would to allow local Boards of Elections to establish absentee ballot drop box locations across the state, in New York City, New York, U.S., August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RC25PI9SZS43
Mike Segar/REUTERS
/
X90033
A New York State Secure Ballot Dropbox sits outside the James A. Farley U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Post Office as New York State and New York City legislators held a rally for their new legislation that would to allow local Boards of Elections to establish absentee ballot drop box locations across the state, in New York City, New York, U.S., August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RC25PI9SZS43

The Texas House passed its version of the omnibus elections bill on a party-line vote in a marathon session that wrapped up just after 3 a.m. on Friday.

The bill is part of a nationwide trend of new GOP-backed, state-level voter restrictions that Republican lawmakers say are designed to preserve election integrity, despite no evidence of the existence of widespread voter fraud.

What’s in the pared-down version just advanced by the Texas House, and what happens next in the legislative process?

What are the implications for Texas voters if Senate Bill 7 is signed into law? Who will be most affected?

Why are we now seeing a trend of new state-level voting restrictions? What problems do they purport to solve?

Do these changes violate federal voting rights and protections? What are the legal arguments for and against more restrictive voting laws?

Guests:

  • Myrna Pérez, director of the Voting Rights and Elections Program at NYU Law's Brennan Center for Justice
  • Scott Braddock, journalist and political analyst, editor of the Quorum Report and co-host of the Texas Take podcast
  • Nina Perales, vice president of litigation for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)

"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet @TPRSource.

*This interview was recorded on Monday, May 10.

Stay Connected