In response to Texas legislators fast-tracking omnibus election legislation in House and Senate hearings in its special session today, Secure Democracy issued the following statement:
“Texans want to vote in free and fair elections, and the legislature should listen to them,” said Sarah Walker, executive director of Secure Democracy. “Unfortunately, the omnibus bills heard today will impose new criminal penalties on elections administrators and caregivers, inject more partisanship in our elections by limiting election judges and officials’ ability to run transparent and fair elections, and create even more barriers for seniors and voters with disabilities who need to vote by mail. State leaders should reject partisan legislation that will only further undermine confidence in our elections, and instead focus on bipartisan solutions that will strengthen Texans’ ability to cast a ballot.”
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON THE NEW OMNIBUS ELECTION BILLS
As introduced on July 8, 2021, House Bill 3 and Senate Bill 1:
–Threaten election officials with criminal prosecution for enacting procedures to meet local community needs and increase voter freedom;
–Threaten organizations and caregivers with felony prosecution for providing needed assistance to voters at polling locations and with mail ballots;
–Limit the ability of election judges to remove disruptive or intimidating partisan poll watchers;
–Allow partisan poll watchers to take election officials to court over perceived obstruction;
–Require voters using mail ballots to include the ID number identical to the one they initially provided with their registration application when applying for or returning mail ballots;
–Strictly limit the type of assistance a person — even a family member — may provide a voter when casting their ballot; and
–Ban outdoor and drive-through voting locations and mail ballot drop boxes, even in cases of a local emergency.
NEW SECURE DEMOCRACY/RAGNAR RESEARCH POLL: BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR INCREASED VOTING ACCESSIBILITY AND ELECTION ACCOUNTABILITY IN TEXAS
“Texans support lawmakers pressing ‘reset’ on election reforms in the special session, focusing on enhanced accountability and access — not political interference or new restrictions,” writes Chris Perkins, partner at Ragnar Research, based on a new statewide poll he conducted for Secure Democracy.
The poll found strong bipartisan support for election reforms that strengthen free and fair elections in Texas and rejects partisan attempts to weaken confidence in election integrity:
–93% of Texas voters believe that poll watchers should have proper training; 86% of voters do not want poll watchers to film or photograph their votes
–91% of Texas voters say the legislature should not be allowed to reject or overturn election results without clear proof of fraud
–90% of Texas voters believe state lawmakers should take steps to protect their elections from partisan interference
–87% of Texas voters support increasing the number of polling locations on Election Day, including 69% of Republicans
–86% of Texas voters said election workers shouldn’t worry about risking jail time for doing their jobs
–86% of Texas voters oppose felony charges for providing assistance to voters with disabilities or voters with other unique needs at polling locations
–74% of Texas voters want to expand the accessibility of early voting by one week, and 80% of voters want to add a second weekend of early voting
–69% of Texas voters want to create a consistent process to allow voters to correct any errors on mail-in ballots before they are tossed out, including 60% of Republican voters
SECURE DEMOCRACY URGES LEGISLATORS TO UNITE BEHIND COMMON-SENSE REFORMS THAT STRENGTHEN TEXAS ELECTIONS
Measures enjoying bipartisan support that Secure Democracy continues to urge lawmakers to advance during the special session on election reform include:
–Ballot cure. Ballot cure is a process that exists in many other conservative states, including Florida, Ohio, and Kentucky, and would notify voters about an honest, correctable issue with their mail ballot prior to rejecting them.
–Online Voter Registration. Texas should implement a statewide online voter registration system to serve new and existing voters, like those already available in 40 states. Local Texas election administrators support the creation of an online voter registration system.
–Expanded Early Voting. Early voting is wildly popular in Texas and Texans want more opportunities to cast their ballots in person. Nearly three in four Texas voters support expanding the early voting period by a week, with even more wanting a second weekend of early voting.
Last year, over 4 million Texans voted during the extra week of early voting Governor Abbott authorized.
Secure Democracy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to improve election integrity across the United States. We educate policymakers and the public about what it takes to safeguard our voting systems. We collaborate with state leaders, election administrators, election integrity experts, and allies to ensure that all eligible citizens have the freedom to vote how they choose.
