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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the new restrictions on voting rights in Texas , alleging that they disenfranchise eligible voters, including the elderly and the disabled, and violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The lawsuit was filed against the state of Texas and the Texas Secretary of State by Senate Bill 1, which was signed into law by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott in September .
Texas bill imposed new criminal penalties for violating voting laws, prohibited voting from 24 hours and direct voting and allowed more access to partisan election observers.
“Our democracy depends on the right of eligible voters to cast their vote and have it counted,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement on Thursday. “The Department of Justice will continue to use all the authorities at its disposal to protect this fundamental pillar of our society.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott argued in September that the legislation would “solidify confidence in the outcome of our elections by making it easier to vote and harder to cheat.”
” Laws that prevent eligible citizens from going to the polls have no place in our democracy. Texas Senate Bill 1’s restrictions on voter turnout and on which elections officials can accept absentee ballots cast by eligible voters are illegal and indefensible, ”said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke from the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, in the statement.
DOJ’s lawsuit alleges Senate Bill 1 violates Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act by unduly restricting what assistance voters who have a disability or cannot read or write may receive at the polls.
It also alleges that Senate Bill 1 hurts those voters by prohibiting their aides from providing needed help, including answering basic questions, response to requests for clarification of ballot translations or confirmation that voters with visual impairments have marked a ballot as expected.
AND contends Senate Bill 1 violates Section 101 of the Rights Act Civilians from 1964 to demand the rejection of the ballots vote-by-mail ballot and postal ballot request forms eo due to certain errors or omissions in the paperwork that are not important in establishing a voter’s eligibility to cast a ballot.
The claim requests the court prohibiting Texas from enforcing these requirements.
Voting restrictions in various states
New voting restrictions in Texas are part of a wave of efforts by state legislatures led by the Republican Party and Republican governors that have enacted o tried to enact voting restrictions nationwide.
This week, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he would ask the State Assembly to the creation of an election police that would ensure that fraud is not committed or Florida’s electoral law is violated .
For almost a year, the former president Donald Trump has falsely claimed and without any evidence that the presidential election of 2020 through electoral fraud , and Trump has continued to cast doubt on the integrity of elections across the country.
L Republicans have presented more than 200 bills in about 40 states to restrict access to voting.
According to a report posted by the Brennan Center, 2021 has been an unprecedented year so far for electoral law because 19 states have enacted 33 laws that will make it difficult for Americans to vote, until October.
The 33 laws enacted so far in 2021 have several impacts, including but not limited to making voting by mail and early voting more difficult, imposing stricter voter identification requirements, and make voter purges be n most likely.