Texas lawmakers were considering election integrity bills that would ban the foreign funding of state ballot issue campaigns, establish critical tools to stop noncitizen voting, and keep ranked choice voting out of Texas.
Jason Snead is Executive Director of Honest Elections Project Action.
"These safeguards would have improved elections for all Texans, but House Democrats blocked these popular, commonsense bills in a late-night maneuver," says Snead.
Snead reveals that there are ways to get around a bill being passed.
"There are parliamentary tricks that can be played. And your strategy there, if you're the Democrats, is to run out the clock," Snead explains.
So, Snead questions why there is not a firmer response from Republicans to break the lock on these commonsense measures.
"Why aren't they pushing through all of these measures? Because they do come from a red state. They were elected by their constituents to get these things done. They have an overwhelming majority in both chambers of the Texas Legislature,” Snead explains.
“Frankly, I'm as shocked as anybody that the Texas House isn't clearing bills like the Texas Senate is, which has been churning through a number of conservative reforms in the election phase and in other areas as well, only to see them go over to the House and essentially get bottled up in that process."
Snead says with the Texas legislature meeting only every two years, he is hoping Governor Greg Abbott will call a special session to get these important election safeguards approved.
“Honest Elections Project Action urges the Texas legislature to return to Austin and finish the job next session. Texans deserve nothing less than fair and secure elections.”
