Texas Republicans Release Text of Special Session Voter Suppression Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday evening, the Texas House of Representatives released its proposed “election integrity and security” bill for the special session set to begin Thursday, July 8. In June, after Democrats in the Texas Legislature walked off the floor to deny Republicans of the quorum needed to pass Senate Bill 7, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced he would bring the Legislature back during the summer in order to pass his legislative priorities. Alongside this voter suppression bill, this list includes abortion restrictions, police funding, a ban on transgender students competing in sports and more.
The proposed legislation, House Bill 3, includes many provisions previously considered in the regular session of the Legislature, including criminalizing the proactive distribution of vote-by-mail applications, banning 24-hour and drive-thru voting and adding ID requirements to vote by mail. The bill includes provisions that both state House and Senate Republican leadership had proposed earlier in the spring. The two chambers had previously been unable to agree on which voter suppression provisions they wanted to prioritize.