Jason Snead, Executive Director of Honest Elections Project Action

“Once again, Texas Democrats are walking away from election reforms that would have made it easier for Texans to vote early, including on Sundays. They apparently prefer private jet rides and D.C. photo-ops to open and honest debate about election policies that are overwhelmingly popular with most Americans.”

“Just days ago, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) urged Democrats in Congress to scrap the filibuster, and progressive leaders agreed. Now, Texas Democrats are staging a filibuster to block popular election reforms that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat, and are being cheered on for doing it. Elections are the core of our democracy, and Americans deserve better than partisan hypocrisy like this.”

Background

The bills being considered in Texas expand early voting hours, including on Sundays, something that everyone agrees with. It also strengthens protections against ballot trafficking, a practice that a commission headed by former President Jimmy Carter said invites fraud and should be barred. And it requires voter ID for absentee voting, a best practice that enjoys strong bipartisan support in recent polling.