The Department of Justice is suing the state of Texas over a law that strictly curbs mail-in voting and restricts voting rights.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Thursday over the state law Texas Senate Bill 1, known as SB1, which was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in September.
SB1 makes it much harder to vote by mail through a string of measures. The law prevents officials from sending unsolicited mail-in ballot applications, added new identification requirements for mail-in voting, prohibited drive-through and 24-hour voting locations, limited early voting, and restricted who can help voters requiring assistance for disabilities or language.
The Justice Department said the law illegally restricts voters rights by requiring rejection of mail ballots “for immaterial errors and omissions,” disenfranchises eligible voters and violates federal voting rights laws.
The Justice Department said this law greatly harms the rights of voters with limited English proficiency, deployed military members, and voters overseas.
“Bring it,” responded Governor Abbott in a tweet claiming the Texas law is legal. The governor previously defended the law, saying that it was about voter fraud. There has been absolutely no proof of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election in Texas. Legal experts and voting rights experts have said this is not about fraud, but about limiting the ability to vote.
The Justice Department’s complaint said that Texas has a longstanding and well-documented history of official voting-related discrimination against its “disfavored citizens.” It cited recent court decisions that found Texas’s redistricting plans and voter identification requirements discriminated against minority voters.
This is the second lawsuit by the DOJ against a specific state for voting restrictions. Earlier this year, the department sued Georgia over its new voting law.
It also marks the third legal challenge by the DOJ against Texas state laws since Biden took office in January.
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