Lone Star Showdown: What’s inside the Texas voting bill

Jun 03, 2021 at 10:21 AM CDT

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Senate Bill 7 will be taken up in a special session. GOP lawmakers say language limiting voting hours on Sundays was a typo.

JIMMIE JOHNSON: THE BATTLE IN TEXAS CONTINUES TO BREW OVER SENATE BILL SEVEN.

OVER THE WEEKEND, DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS WALKED OUT OF THE CAPITOL BREAKING A QUORUM.

THE MOVE TEMPORARILY BLOCKS A VOTE TO CHANGE THE STATE’S VOTING LAWS.

REPUBLICANS SAY IT PROVIDES ELECTION INTEGRITY.

WHILE DEMOCRATS SAY IT PROMOTES VOTER SUPPRESSION

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN CALLED IT AN ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY.

SO, WHAT’S IN SENATE BILL SEVEN?

LET’S GET THIS STRAIGHT.

THE 67-PAGE BILL CONTAINS NEW VOTING LAWS AND INTRODUCES FELONY OFFENSES FOR VOTER FRAUD.

THEY INCLUDE NEW GUIDELINES FOR VOTE BY MAIL.

S-B-7 WOULD MAKE IT A FELONY TO SEND A MAIL-IN BALLOT TO SOMEONE WITHOUT THEM REQUESTING IT. THEY WILL NEED THEIR DRIVER’S LICENSE OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TO DO IT.

AND IF YOUR DISABILITY PREVENTS YOU FROM VOTING IN PERSON, YOU WILL NEED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION TO PROVE IT.

SECOND, THE BILL WOULD BAN 24-HOUR EARLY VOTING SITES AND DRIVE-THRU VOTING.

THESE METHODS BECAME EXTREMELY POPULAR DURING THE 20-20 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN HOUSTON. IT’S THE STATE’S MOST POPULOUS CITY AND A DEMOCRATIC STRONGHOLD.

THIRD, THE STATE WILL ALSO REDUCE EARLY VOTING HOURS ON SUNDAYS.

POLLS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO OPEN BEFORE 1 P.M.

DEMOCRATS SAY THE CHANGE IN HOURS WOULD HAMPER THE BLACK VOTE.

AN INITIATIVE CALLED ‘SOULS TO THE POLLS’ ENCOURAGES BLACK VOTERS TO HEAD TO POLLS AFTER MORNING WORSHIP SERVICES.

AND PERHAPS THE MOST HEATED CHANGE IS THE NEW LANGUAGE NOT PREVIOUSLY INCLUDED IN THE BILL. IT WOULD ALLOW A JUDGE TO VOID AN ELECTION IF THERE WERE ENOUGH FRAUDULENT VOTES TO CHANGE THE OUTCOME.

THAT’S A BASIC OVERVIEW OF THE BILL WHICH IS EXPECTED TO PASS IN A SPECIAL SESSION.

LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS BILL AND RATE THIS STORY USING THE BIAS METER.

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