Texas lawmakers advanced a restrictive election bill out of a House committee Thursday morning despite major criticism from Democrats, corporations and voting rights advocates.
The legislation would impose criminal penalties for errors during the election process, such as making it a felony for an official to give a voter an absentee ballot application or solicit the submission of an application if the voter does not request it first.
The measure, House Bill 6, is one of dozens of restrictions being considered by the Texas lawmakers this session. While the bill says it aims “to reduce the likelihood” of voter fraud in elections, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Texas or elsewhere. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, made election integrity a priority for the legislature.
April 7, 202101:25
Austin billionaire Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies, spoke out against the bill last week.
“Free, fair, equitable access to voting is the foundation of American democracy,” he tweeted. “Those rights — especially for women, communities of color — have been hard-earned. Governments should ensure citizens have their voices heard. HB6 does the opposite, and we are opposed to it.”
American Airlines also spoke out against another Republican-advanced election bill, Senate Bill 7, and more than 200 companies voiced opposition to voter suppression more broadly.
Republicans have responded furiously to corporate pressure.
“Texans are fed up with corporations that don’t share our values trying to dictate public policy,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement.
Texas leads the nation in terms of the sheer number of proposed election restrictions, but former President Donald Trump’s repeated falsehoods about the election being stolen from him has inspired an avalanche of election-related bills nationwide. By all accounts, the 2020 election was secure and the results were accurate. Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, said there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and Trump’s legal efforts to overturn the results failed in courtrooms around the country.
State Republicans across the country, many of whom supported Trump in his false claims about the election, say voter restrictions are important to restoring trust in the election process.
“The bill is needed because Americans no longer trust the system,” Patrick said in a press conference defending Texas’ legislative work on the Senate measure. “When you suggest we’re trying to suppress the vote, you are in essence, between the lines, calling us racist, and that will not stand!”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
