Voting Laws in Texas are the Most Restrictive in the Country

The Texas Tribune just put out an article stating that it is harder to vote in Texas than in any other state.

Those of us who live in Texas have been living this reality for quite a long time.  There is a direct link between the voter suppression tactics and our low turnout, resulting in an inability to make change in Texas.

 

The Shelby County v. Holder decision handed down in 2013 by Chief Justice John Roberts

gave a green light to states to rollback voting rights protections, and Texas has taken full advantage of the lack of judicial scrutiny.  The 2013 decision came down just after the Tea Party candidates took full control of state politics in 2012. The Republican primary in 2012 resulted in many prominent and favored GOP candidates (and more moderate) losing to far right candidates.

 

Who knew there is a “cost-of-voting index” compiled by political scientists?  Well there is, and according to them, it is harder to vote in Texas than 49 other states.

 

Why did they rank Texas so low?

• The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before Election Day.  Lots of people are just realizing the election is right around the corner and it is now too late for them to register if they are not registered.
• The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 23, 2020. That means your request must be RECEIVED by the office by that day.  Then your ballot has to be postmarked by Election Day (November 3) and RECEIVED NO LATER THAN THE FOLLOWING DAY ON November 4, 2020. The state does not offer ballot tracking.  If a person mails their ballot on November 3 we can promise it won’t be received by November 4.  Additionally, we personally know people who have not received their ballots yet.
• Tied to absentee ballots, is the Governor’s order (upheld by the courts thus far) that shut down existing ballot drop off locations in various cities in each county, and limited ballot drop off locations to one location per county.  Harris County (Houston) is bigger than New Hampshire and has 1 drop off location as a result of the order.
• Strict voter ID laws.  At first glance many people ask why it is a big deal to have an ID.  There are especially many poor, young people who do not have drivers’ licenses.  There is no point because they don’t have access to a car, and they cannot afford to have the state mandated insurance.  Texas does offer photo ID’s for people without a drivers’ license, but again there are many impediments to that.  It is necessary to go to the DMV (Dept of Motor Vehicles) to get the ID.  Texas is notorious for their poorly managed DMV system.  Offices are only open M – F and usually close at 5:00 p.m. or possibly 6:00 p.m. It is not uncommon to wait in line for a few hours.  Last summer I had to renew my DL in person and it took me two separate days at two separate locations to get it done.  I have flexibility with my job to do that. Most people do not, and for a student to do that is very difficult.  If a person shows up after school, they will not get processed by closing time.  Additionally, it is difficult for people with a drivers license to get to the DMV!  Finally, passports and Conceal Carry ID’s are considered valid for voting but not student High School or College ID’s.  Go figure.
• Texas does not allow foronline voter registration
• Texas does not allow for voter registration when people apply for or renew their drivers’ licenses.  In fact, they do ask people if they want to register to vote at that time.  All that means is that an application is to be mailed to them which they need to fill out and mail back in order to be registered.  Lots of people don’t understand that and think they are registered.  Additionally there are reports of people never receiving their application, and of course they forget about it until Election Day.
• Restrictive rules to vote absentee.  Yesterday we heard Dr. Fauci on 60 Minutes encourage people to vote by mail.  That won’t work for most people in Texas.  Here is who can vote by mail in Texas:

• People ages 65 or older
• Eligible voters confined to jail
• Voters who are out of their county of residence during voting (e.g. students)
• Voters who cite a disability that prevents them from safely going to the polls.  
  
  NEWSFLASH: it was determined that concerns about getting COVID-19 do not fix this sub-category.

All of this adds up to low turnout in Texas.  In 2016 51.4% of the state’s eligible voters turned out to vote.  Very simply, if we want more people to vote, we need to make it easier, and not harder.

Rideshare2Vote and the other countless Democrats in Texas are working hard to flip the state.  One of the ways we do that is go chip away at the House District races.  We made great gains in 2018.  We need to hold the ones we picked up and we need to win some more.  It is very doable.  While that may not be as big as Biden taking our 38 Electoral votes, and we still hope that he does, taking control of the Texas State Legislature is a game changer for the entire country!  We can start making voting easier for everyone and that will change everything!