Voting Rights

Abbott said more than a million people have been taken off Texas voter rolls since 2021, a reform that he said cracks down on illegal voting. But local voting officials said voter roll removal is routine.

A federal judge has struck down provisions in Texas' new law that set limits on how people can help voters cast their ballots.

Democrats in Texas feel they have a real chance of winning several big elections in November, including the governor’s race. But delegates want stronger, more cohesive messaging.

In March, an attorney sued Austin City Council members on behalf of a dozen residents. He argued roughly 24,000 people who had been moved into new council districts as part of the city’s redistricting efforts had been denied their right to elect a local representative.

At the time Mason voted in 2016, she was on supervised release from prison after serving time on federal tax evasion charges. She received a five-year sentence for illegal voting.

The U.S. Senate could consider the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act as soon as this week. Last week, Senate Republicans blocked the Freedom To Vote Act, a different election-related bill.

The Austin-based group says a number of laws recently passed by the Legislature limits Texans' rights when it comes to voting, teaching and access to abortion.

Texas’ new near-total abortion ban, one of the most restrictive in the nation, punctuated a week that brought into stunning relief just how far the state’s political pendulum has swung to the right since the 2020 election.

The bill passed 79-37 on second reading late Thursday night then passed 80-41 on a third reading Friday afternoon. The measure includes bans on 24-hour voting and drive-through voting.

While lawmakers in Austin continue to spar over an omnibus voting bill that would tighten voter restrictions, other voting laws are set to take effect Sept. 1.