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Voting Rights

We are dedicated to ensuring that our elections remain free, fair and accessible and that you have the Freedom to Vote.

The 88th Texas Legislature has begun and we understand there are already over 130 bills related to voter rights.

Please join our monthly calls to help us advocate. It is a joint meeting with members, visitors, non-members, speakers and anyone else interested in Voter Services and Voter Rights and increasing civic engagement and voter turnout!

Contact:
Barbara Larkin, VP Voter Services
voterservicesvp@lwvdallas.org

Here are the key projects we are working on to positively impact the experience of voters, support voter rights and increase voter turnout. Let us know what interests you!

Timeline of the History of Voting Rights in the US from Carnegie Corporation of New York

Why It Matters

The struggle for voting rights continues. https://www.carnegie.org/our-work/article/voting-rights-timeline/

A Message from the League of Women Voters of the US -
Expanding Voter Access

We fight to increase voters’ access to the polls, including expanding early voting and automatic and online voter registration.

Why It Matters

Increased accessibility to the electoral process is integral to ensuring that every American can exercise their right to vote. Leagues across the United States work year-round to promote pro-voter reforms that both preserve our existing rights and provide flexibility for casting ballots in order to be inclusive of historically underserved communities.

While we have made progress in expanding voter access, many people still face disproportionate challenges to participate in elections due to factors including health, age, race, and gender. Our democracy is strongest when every voice is heard, which is why we strongly advocate for measures to make voting more accessible.

Voter Accessibility Measures Supported by LWVUS

Automatic voter registration
Online voter registration
Multilingual voting resources
Extended polling hours
Mail-in voting
Early voting
Eliminated ballot notary and witness signature requirements
Extended registration deadlines
Expanded polling locations
Eliminated or relaxed ID requirements
Added protections for in-person voting

Pro-voter reforms have transformed our democracy and led to unprecedented voter turnout in the 2020 Election. But they are too often threatened by politicians and special interests who prioritize their own needs over an equal and fair democracy. When it comes to opposing these anti-voter efforts, the League is on the frontlines, advocating in state houses and in Congress, fighting anti-voter laws in court, and organizing activists to make their voices heard.

As we work to expand voter access, the League also empowers voters through VOTE411, a nonpartisan, ‘one-stop-shop' for all the election information you need to cast a ballot in every election – available in English and Spanish. From registration to voting rules and candidate guides, this award-winning website is your guide to making your voice heard in every election.

A Message from the League of Women Voters of the US -
Fighting Voter Suppression

We protect every American’s right to vote, challenging those who seek to restrict Black, brown, female, disabled, and other Americans from making their voices heard in our democracy.

Why It Matters

Voter suppression is any attempt to prevent or discourage certain Americans from registering to vote or casting their ballot. These measures often target specific groups based on race, ethnicity, political affiliation, age, or other aspects of voters’ identities.

The most widely used forms of voter suppression include discriminatory voter ID and proof-of-citizenship restrictions, reduced polling place hours in communities of color, the elimination of early voting opportunities, and illegal purges of voters from the rolls.

Historically, voter suppression has overwhelmingly targeted Black Americans. After the Civil War, Black men were able to participate in elections once the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted in 1870, which states:

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Voter suppression in southern states raged in the form of laws to prevent poor and Black voters from participating in elections. These laws, known as Jim Crow laws, included poll taxes and literacy tests. Many of these voter suppression strategies remained in place until the 1965 passage of the Voting Rights Act.

In 2013, the US Supreme Court removed key protections of the Voting Rights Act in the decision of Shelby v. Holder. Since then, a surge of anti-voter bills have swept across our nation– with many being legalized.

The League will not stand for this.

Example: Georgia

In response to an unprecedented number of voters (particularly Black and brown voters) participating in the 2020 election, and a historic, party-flipping Senatorial election, Georgian officials signed a bill, SB 202, into law that reduced the number of ballot boxes in communities of color, limited voting hours, added additional voter ID requirements, and made it illegal to provide those waiting in line with food or water, among other measures.

The provisions in SB 202 would not only eliminate Georgia’s growth in voter participation, but would take voting rights backward in the state, particularly for voters of color, who were directly targeted by the bill. The League of Women Voters of Georgia joined partners, including the Georgia NAACP and the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe, in filing a lawsuit to prevent enforcement of the law.

Example: Texas

In 2021, Texas legislators passed bills limiting citizens' capacity to vote and expanding protection for partisan “poll watchers.” Partisan poll watchers are volunteers deployed by major parties to observe the voting and vote counting processes. Many people consider the presence of poll watchers to be a form of voter intimidation.

In addition to granting poll watchers new access, protection, and power, the bills limited mail-in voting and early voting hours and restricted in-person voter assistance for people with disabilities or those requiring support in the voting process. The bills inspired half of Texas’s legislature to flee to DC to block their passage; despite efforts to block these provisions, the voter suppressing bills were signed into law.

A Message from the League of Women Voters of Texas
Stephanie Swanson, Voter Rights & Election Law Chair

2023 ACTION PAPER - VOTING RIGHTS & ELECTION LAWS

In the two years that have passed since the last legislative session, League members have worked tirelessly to ensure that our elections run smoothly and that voters have the ability to participate in our democracy. The League helped educate the public about election law changes passed in the 87th legislative session. When election officials were faced with an election worker shortage, league members stepped up to work at the polls and volunteered to become poll monitors. Many league members also continued our time-honored traditions of registering voters, distributing ballot-by-mail applications, and preparing Voters Guides. From your experiences, and from other experiences shared by Texas voters, the State League has compiled a list of priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

We support election laws that facilitate citizen participation and voter convenience, as well as voting procedures that may increase voter participation.

Improve Safety, Security and Accuracy of Texas Voter Registration by Implementing a Modern Electronic Voter Registration System.

● Forty-two states have followed Arizona’s lead and adopted online voter registration, which improves the accuracy of our voter lists and the security of voter registration.
● Texas currently allows only voters who move within the state to update their address online.
● In order to increase the accessibility of online voter registration to include those who do not have a driver’s

license or non-driver’s ID with a signature on file, the state should use existing technology to capture and accept an electronic version of the registrant’s signature.

Maintain and Expand Access to Voting.

● Protect and expand early voting. The early voting period provides opportunities to voters for which voting on Election Day is difficult.
● Allow voters to vote a provisional ballot if they have moved to a new county within the state but have yet to update their voter registration.
● Make all election forms, especially Vote by Mail applications and envelopes, more simple and accessible.
● Oppose increasing penalties for voter fraud. These types of offenses are exceedingly rare, and when they do

occur, they are usually committed by voters who are misinformed, confused, or don’t understand the law.

We also recommend improvements to election administrative management including:

● Protection of election workers from criminalization of routine errors, curtailing intrusive partisan poll watching, and preserving local control of elections.
● Use of electronic poll books and other technical improvements for successful elections.
● Properly fund elections. New legal mandates have placed a burden on local jurisdictions. The

State should allocate more funds to replace outdated election systems, strengthen cybersecurity, and improve the safety of election officials in order to boost employee retention rates.

Continue Recent Successful Election Cybersecurity Programs.

● Improved voter registration database security and list maintenance transparency.
● Required cybersecurity and physical security training and resources for election officials.

Curb the Abuse of Election Investigations and Audits.

● We oppose the creation of election marshals to investigate allegations of election law violations. Election fraud is exceedingly rare and does not warrant a new division under the Secretary of State’s office. Such an endeavor would intimidate voters and be a burden to taxpayers.
● We oppose legislation that would enable various members of the public to initiate investigations, audits, and civil penalties of election officials. Federal law asserts Texas election officials’ duty to maintain the proper voting ballot chain of custody as required by federal law, and to step in swiftly if those duties are

not upheld. These provisions of federal law ensure that the results of any federal election are verified and verifiable, and that the records necessary to confirm election results remain intact and unaltered. The League supports local control of elections including protection of the absolute discretion of District and County Attorneys to determine what cases to pursue whether through civil or criminal processes.

The League opposes expansion of the authority of state officials, whether the Attorney General or Secretary of State to audit or investigate local elections, whether through special police forces or special prosecutors.

Follow legislation at https://my.lwv.org/texas/advocacy-issues/voting-rights-election-laws-texas. Stephanie Swanson, Voting Rights & Election Law Cha

Important Information Going into the 88th Legislative Session!

Texas Already Had the Most Restrictive Electoral Climate -
Before the New Election Law

You should know that Texas ranks at the bottom of all states for the most restrictive electoral climate. Since 1996, researchers have looked at state election laws and the factors for "ease of voting". In 2020, Texas Fell to Last Place.

Here is a summary of the key provisions of the elections bill, SB1, signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. Summary by Cinde Weatherby, Voting Rights and Election Laws Issue Chair, Austin Area League

During the last election cycle, Texans all over the state benefited from more voting opportunities, such as expansion of early voting, extended hours at the polling places, and more options to return vote-by-mail ballots. These are the kinds of measures that Texans want. With the enactment of SB 1, these measures are prohibited. SB 1 adds to the morass of our election laws by using broad and confusing language, creating barriers to voting, and adding criminal offenses.

The list below summarizes the League’s highest concerns. They are shared by a number of other nonpartisan groups as well.

Threatens election officials with criminal prosecution for enacting procedures to meet local

community needs and increase voter freedom;
Threatens advocacy groups and individuals with felony prosecution for providing needed

assistance to voters at polling locations and with mail ballots;
Limits the ability of election judges to remove disruptive or intimidating partisan poll

watchers;
Allows partisan poll watchers to take election officials to court over perceived obstruction;
Requires voters using mail ballots to include the ID number contained in their registration

records when applying for or returning mail ballots;
Requires audits disproportionately targeting more populous counties that are duplicative

of audits required by legislation passed during the regular session.
Prohibits outdoor voting, even in situations involving natural disasters and prohibit

drive-through voting locations and mail ballot drop boxes;
Requires new procedures for purging lists of registered voters and threaten local officials

with loss of employment and civil penalties for failing to maintain voter lists to the

satisfaction of the Secretary of State;

One good thing was included...
Provides voters an opportunity to electronically cure certain minor errors on mail ballots using the new electronic ballot tracking platform approved in the regular session.

Votes on SB1 and other Bills Legislators Introduced on Voting Rights - See What Your Elected Officials Did in the 2021 Sessions! We will be adding bill information for the 88th Session.

LWVD Legislative Research

By Louise Weber

February 19, 2022

In a report posted September 29, 2021, the Voting Rights Lab* (VRL) followed legislation which threatens the democratic process. VRL identified three critical issues listed below, as well as the relevant legislation introduced in Texas.

ISSUE 1: Increased Partisanship in Election Administration

Legislatures interfering with nonpartisan local election administration and consolidating power to administer and determine election result themselves.

ISSUE 2: Partisan Election Reviews

Lawmakers proposing or initiating costly, highly partisan election reviews that undermine election security and erode trust in our election system.

ISSUE 3: Criminalization of Election Officials and Civil Causes of Action

Legislatures accelerating the mass exodus of experienced election officials by imposing chilling criminal penalties, and parroting disinformation that results in serious safety threats.

Note: (87-2) and (87-3) refer to second and third special sessions of the legislature respectively.

LEGISLATION ENACTED

SB 1 / HB 3 (87-2) – ties to Issues 1 and 3

An act relating to election integrity and security, including by preventing fraud in the conduct of elections in this state; increasing criminal penalties; creating criminal offenses.

Voting Rights Lab Analysis: This bill prohibits local officials from modifying election procedures to better serve voters. It also increases the likelihood of partisan poll watchers disrupting polling places and ballot verification and counting locations. It threatens local officials with criminal (sometimes felony) prosecution for distributing mail ballot applications or ballots to voters who do not first request them. Local officials will also face greater oversight of registered voter list maintenance that includes the possibility of termination of their employment and civil penalties.

The bill increased the ability of poll watchers to move freely throughout an election location, including areas containing voters waiting in line, checking in, or casting their ballots. Election judges may not remove disruptive poll watchers from election locations unless the judge first witnesses the poll watcher commit a violation of law, warns the poll watcher, and the poll watcher then commits a subsequent offense. Voters’ reports of harassment or intimidation by poll watchers, if not witnessed by election judges, will not be sufficient to remove poll watchers. Election judges who remove disruptive poll watchers contrary to new, specific requirements in SB 1 can also be subject to prosecution for a Class A misdemeanor.

Author: Hughes

Co-authors: Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, HALL, Huffman, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, PAXTON, Perry, Schwertner, Springer, Taylor

Sponsors: Murr, Lozano, Clardy, White, Jetton

Co-sponsors: Allison, Anderson, Ashby, Bailes, Bell (Cecil), Bell (Keith), Biedermann, Bonnen, Buckley, Burns, Burrows, Cain, Capriglione, Cason, Cook, Darby, Dean, Goldman, Harless, Harris, Hefner, Holland, Huberty, Kacal, King (Phil), Klick, Kuempel, Leach, Leman, Metcalf, MEYER, Middleton, Morrison, Murphy, Noble, Oliverson, Paddie, Parker, Patterson, Paul, Price, Raney, Rogers, Sanford, Shaheen, Shine, Slaton, Slawson, Spiller, Stucky, Swanson, Thompson (Ed), Tinderholt, Toth, VanDeaver, Vasut, Wilson

Conference report adopted: 8/31/2021 by Senate and House

Signed by Governor and effective 12/2/2021

	District	Name Senate House	Yea	Nay	NV	Absent
1	2	Bob Hall	X
2	8	Angela Paxton	X
3	9	Kelly Hancock	X
4	16	Nathan Johnson		X
5	23	Royce West		X

1	100	Jasmine Crockett				X
2	102	Ana Marie Ramos				X
3	103	Rafael Anchía		X
4	104	Jessica González				X
5	105	Thresa Meza				X
6	107	Victoria Neave		X
7	108	Morgan Meyer	X
8	109	Carl Sherman Sr				X
9	110	Toni Rose		XX
10	111	Yvonne Davis
11	112	Angie Chen Button	X
12	113	Rhetta Bowers		X
13	114	John Turner		X
14	115	Julie Johnson		X

PASSED SENATE CHAMBER; NO PROGRESS IN HOUSE

SB 47 (87-3) [SB 97 (87-2)] – ties to Issue 2

An act relating to processes to address election irregularities; providing a civil penalty.

Voting Rights Lab Analysis: Would allow a county or state party chair to require one or more counties to review the results of the November 2020 election. It would also authorize losing candidates and partisan officials to initiate reviews in future elections based on an unsubstantiated allegation of any deviation in election procedures or discrepancy in precinct results.

Author: Bettencourt

Co-authors: Buckingham, Creighton, HALL, Huffman, Hughes, Perry, Schwertner, Springer

Recorded vote for 3^rd reading 10/5/2021 below

Received in House 10/6/2021

	District	Name Senate House	Yea	Nay	NV	Absent
1	2	Bob Hall	X
2	8	Angela Paxton	X
3	9	Kelly Hancock	X
4	16	Nathan Johnson		X
5	23	Royce West		X

HB 16 (87-3) [HB 244 (87-2)] – ties to Issue 2

Similar to SB 47 above

Author: Toth, Wilson, Anderson, Cain

Co-authors: Bell, Keith, Harris, Hefner, King, Phil, Patterson, Paul, Slawson, Swanson, Vasut, White

Filed: 9/8/2021

Status: Did not progress

BILLS FILED IN SENATE AND HOUSE CHAMBERS

HB 17 (87-3) [HB 26 (87-2)] – ties to Issue 2

An act relating to a forensic audit of 2020 election results in certain counties.

Voting Rights Lab Analysis: Requires state officials to appoint an independent third party to conduct a review of 2020 election results in all counties with a population of at least 415,000.

Authors: Toth, Wilson, Cain

Co-authors: Anderson, Bell, Keith, Bonnen, Harris, Hefner, King (Phil), Metcalf, Middleton, Patterson, Paul, Slawson, Spiller, Swanson, Thompson (Ed), Tinderholt, Vasut, White

Introduced: 9/8/2021

Status: Did not progress

SB 20 (87-3) [SB 88 (87-2)] – ties to Issue 2

An act relating to a forensic audit of 2020 election results in certain counties

Voting Rights Lab Analysis: Requires the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to review every precinct in every county where there is a discrepancy between total number of votes counted and the number of voters counted as having voted.

Primary author: HALL

Joint authors: Springer

Introduced: 9/8/2021

Status: Did not progress

HB 95 (87-2) – ties to Issue 2

An act relating to improvements to election integrity, including through a partial count of auditable voting system ballots; creating a criminal offense.

Voting Rights Lab Analysis: Requires a recount of 10% of the ballots cast in each county. County party chairs, rather than neutral election officials, would select the precincts that would be subject to recount.

Primary author: Jetton

Introduced: 8/7/2021

To committee: 8/23/2021 House Constitutional Rights and Remedies

Status: Did not progress

Not re-filed in 87-3

*The Voting Rights Lab is a nonpartisan organization that brings state advocacy, policy, and legislative expertise to the fight for voting rights.

Legislation Enacted in SB1 on Poll Watchers

Poll Watchers observing activity and restrictions are written into law. Below are sections of the Texas Statues on Election Law as it pertains to Poll Watchers. Please review to be confident about your voting experience and the role of poll watchers. If you want to read more, here is the Texas Election Code.

Sec.A33.056.AAOBSERVING ACTIVITY GENERALLY. (a)AAExcept as provided by Section 33.057, a watcher is entitled to observe any activity conducted at the location at which the watcher is serving.AAA watcher is entitled to sit or stand near enough to see and hear the election officers conducting the observed activity, except as otherwise prohibited by this chapter.

(b)AAA watcher is entitled to sit or stand near enough to the member of a counting team who is announcing the votes to verify that the ballots are read correctly or to a member who is tallying the votes to verify that they are tallied correctly.

(c)AAA watcher is entitled to inspect the returns and other records prepared by the election officers at the location at which the watcher is serving.

(d)AAA watcher may not be prohibited from making written notes while on duty. Before permitting a watcher who made written notes at a precinct polling place to leave while the polls are open, the presiding officer may require the watcher to leave the notes with another person on duty at the polling place, selected by the watcher, for retention until the watcher returns to duty.

(e)AAExcept as provided by Section 33.057(b), a watcher may not be denied free movement where election activity is occurring within the location at which the watcher is serving.

(f)AAIn this code, a watcher who is entitled to "observe" an election activity is entitled to sit or stand near enough to see and hear the activity.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.
Amended by:

Acts 2021, 87th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 1), Sec. 4.07, eff. December 2, 2021.

Sec.A33.057.AAOBSERVING PREPARATION OF VOTER’S BALLOT. (a) A watcher is entitled to be present at the voting station when a voter is being assisted by an election officer, and the watcher is entitled to examine the ballot before it is deposited in the ballot box to determine whether it is prepared in accordance with the voter’s wishes.

(b)AAA watcher may not be present at the voting station when a voter is preparing the voter’s ballot or is being assisted by a person of the voter’s choice.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 40, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Sec.A33.058.AARESTRICTIONS ON WATCHER ’S ACTIVITIES. (a) While on duty, a watcher may not:

(1)AAconverse with an election officer regarding the election, except to call attention to an irregularity or violation of law;

(2)AAconverse with a voter; or

(3)AAcommunicate in any manner with a voter regarding the election.

(b)AAA watcher may call the attention of an election officer to any occurrence that the watcher believes to be an irregularity or violation of law and may discuss the matter with the officer. An officer may refer the watcher to the presiding officer at any point in the discussion. In that case, the watcher may not discuss the occurrence further with the subordinate officer unless the presiding officer invites the discussion.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Texas Political Party Positions on Voting Rights from their Platforms

2020 Republican Party of TexasPlatform

See newer 2022 Republican Party ofTexas platform here: texasgop.org/platform/

1096 (Elections)

204. Bond Elections: State and local bond election ballots should be required to include the amount of debt currently outstanding, current debt service payments, current per capital debt obligations, the amount of new debt being proposed, estimated debt service for the new debt, and estimated per capita burden being proposed. The bond issue must obtain a yes vote of a minimum of 20 percent of registered voters at an election administered by the County. No public funds are to be spent influencing a bond election. We oppose bundling of items onboard election ballots and "rolling polling" for bond and tax rate increase elections.

205. Judicial Candidate Speech: We support a state constitutional amendment that would enable judicial candidates to express their beliefs in general terms before elections to thus inform voters of their views.

206. Pay-to-Play Endorsement Slates: We oppose "pay-to-play" endorsement slates and urge Republican primary voters to exercise extreme caution regarding any endorsement or statement made in these slates.

207. Early Voting: We support that early voting will be limited to 7 days, ending on the Friday before Election Day.

208. Fair Election Procedures: We support the right of eligible voters to cast a ballot in each election once but oppose illegal voting, illegal assistance, or ineligible persons registering. We support vigorous enforcement of all our election laws as written and oppose any laws, lawsuits, and judicial decisions that make voter fraud very difficult to deter, detect, or prosecute. We support Voter Photo ID. Internet voting for public office and any ballot measure should be prohibited.

209. Ballot by Mail: We oppose any attempt to expand the criteria for ballot by mail in Texas because of the potential for voter fraud. We support increased scrutiny and security in balloting by mail.

210. Offense Enforcement for In-Person Voting: We support raising to felony status infractions of the Texas Election Code during in-person voting, including allowing persons not in the poll book to vote a regular ballot, willfully misclassifying the reason for a provisional ballot, giving one voter multiple ballot access codes or multiple ballots, and all forms of voter assistance not compliance with Texas Election Code, especially "assistants" who force themselves on voters to influence their votes.

211. Felon Voting: We support the constitutional authority of state legislatures to regulate voting, including enfranchisement of convicted felons.

212. Actual Residence: We support changes to the appropriate sections of Texas law that would deny or cancel homestead exemptions, driver licenses and License to Carry, if the addresses on those documents DO NOT match the address on the voter's registration.

213. Consolidated elections: All public elections, with the exception of specially called elections, should be consolidated to Primary and General Election days and locations.

214. Voter Registration: We support restoring integrity to the voter registration rolls and reducing voter fraud. We support repealing all motor voter laws, re-registering voters every four years, requiring photo ID of all registrants, requiring proof of residency and citizenship along with the voter registration application, retaining the 30-day registration deadline, and requiring that a list of certified deaths be provided to the Secretary of State in order that the names of deceased voters be removed from the list of registered voters. We support periodic checks on the voter rolls to ensure all currently registered voters are eligible, with prompt removal of ineligible voters. We should give the Secretary of State enforcement authority to ensure county registrar compliance with Secretary of State directives. We also support revising Title 19 funding to avoid incentivizing retention of ineligible voters.

215. Ballot Harvesting: We support stiff criminal penalties against so-called "ballot harvesters," those who collect or fill out mailed ballots on behalf of a campaign.

216. Campaigning at Poll Sites: We encourage free speech at polling sites outside of the existing boundaries. The right to campaign, including the display of signage, with respect to current state law, at an appropriate distance (100 feet) from the polling place, shall not be infringed.

217. Voting Rights: We support equal suffrage for all United States citizens of voting age. We oppose any identification of citizens by race, origin, or creed and oppose use of any such identification for purposes of creating voting districts. We urge that the Voting Rights Act of 1965, codified and updated in 1973, be repealed and not reauthorized.

218. Direct Elections of State Judges: We support our right to select our judges by direct vote.

219. English-Only Ballots: English, and only English, shall appear on any ballot for any election in the United States of America and in the State of Texas.

220. Closed Primary: We support protecting the integrity of the Republican Primary Election by requiring a closed primary system in Texas.

221. Crossover Voting: We welcome people to join the Republican Party who support limited government and traditional values. We oppose campaigns to get liberal Democrats to crossover and move the Republic party to the left in the primary.

222. Redistricting: We support drawing districts based on eligible voters, not pure population. We believe districts should be geographically compact when possible. We oppose any redistricting map that is unfair to conservative candidates in the primary or the general election.

223. County Chair Elections: We support the election of Republican County Chairs - for counties with more than 70,000 residents - by their respective County Executive Committees.

2020-2022 Texas Democratic Party Platform

See newer 2022 Texas Democrats Party platform here: Democratic Party Platform on Voting Rights

Voting Rights and Fair Elections

1. Recognize November's Election Day as a state and federal holiday;

2. Combine local, state, and federal elections to minimize how often voters have to to go the polls each year;

3. Develop a robust and continuous voter education and outreach programs, especially for youth, communities of color, voters with disabilities, and other underserved populations;

4. Increase access to the ballot through same-day registration, online registration, adherence to federal "Motor Voter" laws, the repeal of voter registrar deputization requirements, automatic registration for eligible Texans aged 17 years and 10 months or older, and sending vote by mail applications to Texans on their 65th birthdays;

5. Implement countywide vote centers, extended and accessible early voting periods, curbside voting, and universal, no-excuse vote by mail, especially to protect the most vulnerable in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic;

6. Provide funding, suppliers, and a clear plan to county election officials to ensure voter safety is prioritized;

7. Reinstate mobile voting so counties can better ensure rural voters, students, and seniors have access to the ballot;

8. Remove the undue burdens on students by placing polling locations at all institutions of postsecondary education;

9. Allow Texans who will turn 18 by Election Day to participate in the preceding Primary Elections;

10. Ensure voters with disabilities have equal access to the ballot via accessible polling places and accommodations, curbside voting, and accessible vote by mail, with poll workers trained in the law, procedures and equipment use;

11. Repeal the highly restrictive and discriminatory Texas Photo Voter ID law;

12. Protect voting rights by enforcing the Texas Voting Rights and the federal Voting Rights Act with restored preclearance provisions;

13.Incorporate paper back-ups and an auditable paper trail into voting systems;

14. Provide education on, and work towards implementation of, ranked choice voting in order to further promote strong democratic ideals and provide more choice to Texans across the state;

15.End racial and political gerrymandering by creating a nonpartisan redistricting commission; and

16.Support the elimination of the Electoral College and join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, and until the compact is effective, proportionally award Texas's presidential electoral votes based on the U.S. Presidential results within the state.

2018 Texas Libertarian Party Platform

I.5 ELECTIONS
1.5.a. Verifiable Balloting
LPTexas supports transparency in all publicly funded elections through verifiable ballot receipts and/or electronic tracking. We oppose any efforts to count the votes outside of public view.

I.5.b. Party Affiliation
LPTexas opposes mandatory affiliation, at the time of voter registration, either as an Independent or with a political party. We support voting as a voluntary expression of the right to freedom of association. LPTexas opposes partisan labels on the ballot, as well as straight-ticket voting.

I.5.c. Primary Screen-out
LPTexas supports the right of voters to decide who will be on the ballot. As such we support legislative efforts which would remove restrictions regarding eligibility to sign candidate and party petitions to appear on a ballot. All eligible voters should have the opportunity to vote their opinion. Their voice should not be silenced due to their participation in a primary election or their decision to sign an alternative candidate's petition.

I.5.d. Initiative and Referendum
LPTexas supports the right of citizens to propose state laws or constitutional amendments through a referendum process.

I.5.e. Electoral Recall
LPTexas supports the rights of the People to recall elected or publicly appointed officials from any public office within their jurisdiction.

I.5.f. Election Reform
LPTexas supports election reform that does away with a two-party duopoly and the uncontrolled corporate and PAC influence that exists today. LPTexas believes that party primaries are not a function of the state, and rather are processes which should be self-funded. We also believe that all races should be decided by a more representative election process that includes a choice for None Of The Above (NOTA). We support transparency of all monies utilized by or on behalf of any campaign or elected official.

2019 Green Party of Texas State Platform

B. Political Participation

1. We will act to broaden voter participation and ballot access, urging Universal Voter Registration and Primary and General Election Day Holidays that are statutory paid holidays. We would revise voter registration to be fully accessible to all voters and include same day registration and online registration.

2. We believe that Texas voters should have a binding "none of the above" option on the ballot for every elected office.

3. We support removing restrictive ballot access laws modeled after Louisiana and Mississippi.

4. We support the creation of a system for designating electoral district boundaries that eliminates gerrymandering.

5. Texas citizens should have the right of Initiative and Referendum to create state laws and constitutional amendments. In the twenty-four states that already have an Initiative and Referendum process, it has been used to get women the right to vote, establish the eight-hour workday, reform campaign finance laws, and improve term limits on elected officials.

6. The Bill of Rights, the first ten Amendments to the United States Constitution has been incorporated into the constitutions of all 50 states because it is singularly the most important statement of principles on which our secular democratic republic was founded. As citizens, we need the fundamental human freedoms it enumerates to vote intelligently, to hold public office, and to govern. Because every United States citizen should be keenly aware of these rights, the Green Party of Texas supports requiring the the United States Bill of Rights be prominently displayed in every public facility of our nation, especially the White House, the halls of Congress, the Supreme Court, every courtroom, state/county/municipal office buildings, parks, and the classrooms of every educational facility receiving any amount of public funding.

Voting-by-Mail Rules Vary Across the USA

Five states use vote-by-mail as the default voting process.

29 states and the District of Columbia allow any voter to vote absentee.

Texas is one of 16 states that require a reason to vote absentee.

Source: Rakich Nathaniel, April 27, 2020, Five-thirty-eight https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/few-states-are-prepared-to-switch-to-voting-by-mail-that-could-

Definitions of Vote-by-Mail and Absentee Voting

Absentee Ballot:

The practice of mailing in a ballot began during the Civil War with soldiers who were off fighting in other states. Over the years, it expanded to include other people who would be "absent" from their home on Election Day - like the U.S President - then later to people with disabilities, the elderly and those with other excuses for not being able to vote in person. Today, residents in all 50 states can vote absentee, though in some places an excuse is required.

Vote-by-Mail:

Because most voters in a no-excuse absentee ballot state are no longer "absent", many elections officials have begun using the term "vote-by-mail" or "mail-in-ballots" as a catch-all term for ballots sent through the mail. One national think tank uses the term "vote at home" as an alternative, while a research group calls it "voting outside the polling place."

Source: "Absentee Ballot Versus Vote-by-Mail? A Guide to Election Terms", Ryan Teague Beckwith, August 4, 2020, Bloomberg) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-04/absentee-ballot-vs-vote-by-mail-a-guide-to-voting

Learn More About Voting Rights

Voting Rights by LWVUS

Voting Rights by LWV-Texas

Quicklink for this page is http://lwvdallas.org/votingrights

Voting Rights

Here are the key projects we are working on to positively impact the experience of voters, support voter rights and increase voter turnout. Let us know what interests you!

Timeline of the History of Voting Rights in the US from Carnegie Corporation of New York

A Message from the League of Women Voters of the US - Expanding Voter Access

Why It Matters

Voter Accessibility Measures Supported by LWVUS

A Message from the League of Women Voters of the US - Fighting Voter Suppression We protect every American’s right to vote, challenging those who seek to restrict Black, brown, female, disabled, and other Americans from making their voices heard in our democracy.

Why It Matters

Example: Georgia

Example: Texas

A Message from the League of Women Voters of Texas Stephanie Swanson, Voter Rights & Election Law Chair

Important Information Going into the 88th Legislative Session! Texas Already Had the Most Restrictive Electoral Climate - Before the New Election Law

Votes on SB1 and other Bills Legislators Introduced on Voting Rights - See What Your Elected Officials Did in the 2021 Sessions! We will be adding bill information for the 88th Session.

Legislation Enacted in SB1 on Poll Watchers

Texas Political Party Positions on Voting Rights from their Platforms

2020 Republican Party of TexasPlatform

2020-2022 Texas Democratic Party Platform

2018 Texas Libertarian Party Platform

2019 Green Party of Texas State Platform

Voting-by-Mail Rules Vary Across the USA

Definitions of Vote-by-Mail and Absentee Voting

Absentee Ballot:

Vote-by-Mail:

Learn More About Voting Rights

A Message from the League of Women Voters of the US -
Expanding Voter Access

A Message from the League of Women Voters of the US -
Fighting Voter Suppression

We protect every American’s right to vote, challenging those who seek to restrict Black, brown, female, disabled, and other Americans from making their voices heard in our democracy.

A Message from the League of Women Voters of Texas
Stephanie Swanson, Voter Rights & Election Law Chair

Important Information Going into the 88th Legislative Session!

Texas Already Had the Most Restrictive Electoral Climate -
Before the New Election Law