DOJ Sues Texas over SB1 Voter Suppression Legislation

When Governor Abbott signed Texas Senate Bill 1 into law in September, there was no question that the intent behind it was to disenfranchise voters in Texas’s largest cities, cities like Dallas, Houston, and Austin, which consistently vote blue. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department have now challenged the bill for violating the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The lawsuit challenges provisions of the law under Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act and Section 101 of the Civil Rights Act. The suit says SB1 violates Section 208 of the VRA by improperly restricting the assistance of voters who have a disability or are unable to read or write can receive. SB1 does so by preventing those who are assisting from answering simple questions, clarifying ballot translations upon request, or ensuring that voters with visual impairments have marked their ballot as they wanted. The Justice Department also says SB1 violates Section 101 of the Civil Rights Act by requiring the rejection of mail-in ballots and mail-in ballot request forms because of paperwork errors or omissions that are not relevant to determining if a voter is eligible to vote.

SB1 has many other harmful provisions, and the Justice Department is not alone in suing Texas over this bill. Texas is facing multiple lawsuits over different provisions in the bill based on other statutes. The law negatively impacts elderly voters, voters with disabilities, and absent-from-state voters like deployed military members and ex-patriots living overseas.  The addition of complex ID requirements for vote-by-mail balloting, the elimination of drive-thru voting, and the creation of an expanded “oath for assistants” are intended to put roadblocks in the way of voters who already have a hard time navigating the requirements of Texas’ voting procedures.

At Rideshare2Vote, we are all about voter access, and SB1 suppresses the most basic right that we have, the right to vote.  We commend the intervention of the Justice Department and are committed as an organization to navigating any obstacles to legally voting.

Our volunteer drivers don’t just provide the ride – they serve as voter allies that are sometimes asked to help people with disabilities, elderly, or non-English speaking citizens cast their ballots.  But under SB1, a voter assistant can face criminal penalties for simply answering a voter’s questions about the ballot. The impact on voters with limited English or limited vision is staggering, so we are grateful that the DOJ is willing to challenge this discriminatory law.

Hopefully, the lawsuit can delay the implementation of these harsh provisions of the new voter suppression law before early voting starts on February 14, 2022.  Rideshare2Vote is committed to helping voters in Texas and other states that face similar obstacles, and we applaud the DOJ for taking the Texas GOP legislature to task for their insidious attempt to suppress voter turnout.  

We also thank our donors who help us keep wheels to Democracy to fight voter suppression and increase Democratic voter turnout. We are always grateful for contributions and thank you in advance for your consideration.

by Betsy Zalinski