A coalition of civil rights groups is warning that a new GOP bill winding its way through the Texas Legislature imposes substantial and unnecessary burdens on voters.
Among other provisions, Senate Bill 9, an omnibus “election integrity” bill filed by state Senator Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, would raise criminal penalties for certain election-related offenses; establish tighter rules for assisting disabled, elderly or absentee voters; and increase the likelihood that people who mistakenly violate election laws face criminal prosecution.
In a Tuesday letter urging Hughes to radically change or withdraw SB 9, the coalition, which includes the Texas Civil Rights Project and MOVE Texas, called the bill a “dangerous new assault on voting rights in Texas.”