Photo: Twitter
AUSTIN, Texas — Today, the Texas House voted to advance Senate Bill 7, which implements severe voter restrictions for Texas elections and Texas voters.
The measure is leading to widespread outrage and two major marches against the bill are planned for Saturday, May, 18th in Austin and Houston.
The vote happened despite the House Elections Committee Chair admitting that Texas elections are fair and safe. The bill will limit voting access and criminalize voting processes, making it harder for marginalized Texans to participate.
The following statement was made by Sarah Labowitz, policy and advocacy director of the ACLU of Texas:
“Under cover of darkness, the Texas House just passed one of the worst anti-voting bills in the country. SB 7 will target voters of color, voters with disabilities and the civil servants who run our elections. Lawmakers advanced the bill with little debate or public input. They know the bill is designed to suppress the vote by making voting harder and allowing poll watchers to intimidate voters. Texans deserve better than to wake up and find out that lawmakers jammed through a law that will make participating in our democracy harder and scarier.”
